Issue #78 - Buchty.net

Iransoiq
The
SQ
FX
Made
EZ
4U
Hacker
The Independent News
Magazine for Bnsonlq Users
In this issue
Articles:
Clark Salisbury
The SQ FX Made EZ 4U
Clark
Salisbury
Cover
Welcome back, you programming devils,
voices sent to FXl are processed through
you. We've looked at a lot of the stuff that
goes into making up SQ sounds — waves,
filtering, modulation, enveloping and so on
— so now it's time to start delving into the
both the chorus and reverb, while voices
SQ effects section.
There are 13 effects algorithms available in
the SQ. Included are six single effects: Con
The SQ provides two signal paths (or bus
cert Reverb, Hall Reverb, Room Reverb,
P i t c h Ta b l e s a n d P e r c u s s i o n R e d u x — E P S
ses) to the effects processor — FXl and
FX2. A third bus, called "Dry" is used to
Warm Chamber, 8-Voice Chorus and Phase
Bryce
sent to FX2 are processed through the
reverb alone.
Wave Mutilation 101 — SQ-1 & 2
Jack
Stephen
To l i n
Build a CV Interface/Selector for the EPS
Charles
R.
Fischer
10
Inman
12
nal directly to the SQ's outputs. These bus
Shifter. The other seven effects algorithms
are all multiple: Chorus+Reverb, Flange+
Reverb 1, Flanger+Reverb 2, Phaser+Re-
ses are accessed separately for each voice in
a sound via the SQ's output section.
verb, Rotory Spkr+Verb, Dist+Chorus+
Verb and Cmprss+Dist+Verb.
The effects built into the SQ generally fall
Of course, there's more to effects program
EPS Internals: Back to the Basics
into two main categories: Single and multi
John
a s t h e " C o n c e r t R e v e r b " o r t h e " 8 - Vo i c e
ming than simply selecting algorithms and
routing the voices. Each effect algorithm is
fully user programmable. You can adjust
reverb decay times, chorusing rate and
Chorus" effects. The multiple effects in
clude such things as the "Chorus+Reverb,"
depth, distortion amount and so on. In addi
tion, a number of effect parameters can be
"Flanger+Reverb" and "Phase Shifter-I-
modulated in real time from a number of
Basement Tapes: Michael Jon Sohns
t h e c o n t r o l l e r s o r m o d u l a t o r s . Yo u c a n a s
Daniel
bypass the effects section and send the sig
ple effects. The single effects provide a
single, highly optimized stereo effect, such
Reverb." The multiple effects can actually
include as many as five separate effects, as
in the case of the "Cmprss-t-Dist+Verb" ef
sign the modwheel to control Hanger rate,
for example, or use velocity to control
fect, which includes compression, flanging,
distortion, reverb and filtering.
reverb amount. All in all, there's a lot of
T h e t w o e ff e c t s b u s s e s , c a l l e d " F X l " a n d
couple of installments. For now, though,
we'll begin our sojourn through the effects
section of the SQ with a look at routing.
"FX2," are used with the single effects to
control how much effect each voice in a
stuff you can do here, so we'll be spending
some quality time in this area over the next
sound will get. For example, one voice in a
sound could be sent to FXl with a 40%
Let's start by selecting ROM #14, "Jazz
wet-to-dry mix (40% of the signal that ap
pears at the outputs of the SQ is from the
effect, 60% is dry and un-effected), and
Izz." Press EDIT, then WAVE, and then "0"
another voice in the sound could be sent to
FX2 with a 15% wet/dry mix.
With the multiple effects the busses are
u s e d s o m e w h a t d i ff e r e n t l y. W i t h t h e
"Chorus+Reverb" effects, for example.
ISSUE NUMBER 78, $2.50
Your Hard Drive Giving You a Hard Time?
Dave
P.
Worth
Using the VFX-sd With a Sync Box
Michael
Mconey
L o f fi n k
14
17
Reviews:
Mandel
6
Kaufman's Sounds for Trade — VFX & SD
Daniel
Mandel
9
Syntaur Soundset 4 — SQ-80
Michael
Mortilla
15
Nightwind Samples for Mirage
Barry
Carson
20
Regular Stuff:
Random
three voices are active in this sound —
Hypersoniq
they're all set to "ON." Select the first
voice and hit UP to solo it — if you play a
few notes across the keyboard, you'll find
Hard
Drives
C l a s s i fi e d s
piano found in the upper ranges. Now solo
voice2, and check it out the same way. Aha
13
VFX-sd & SD-1 Sequencer File Formats
Gary
Giebler
18
to move to the "SelectVOICE:" page. All
that this voice accounts for the acoustic
7
Notes
3
3
List
4
21
Hackerpatches
Sam Minis & Jeffrey Rhoads 22
The
Current
Interface
O.S
26
31
DECEMBER, 1991
— this voice is used for the bass sound in the patch. Further inves
them, but have returned to their default values of 25% for each
tigation reveals that voice3 is used for the hi-hat sample that's
layered with the bass sotmd on the lower half of the keyboard. For
now, let's turn off this voice so that we can concentrate on just the
bass and piano sounds.
bus. This is because each time you select an effect algorithm in the
SQ, the default setup for that effect is loaded into the ESP (Ensoniq Signal Processor) chip, replacing whatever was there pre
viously. This is no big deal right now, but sooner or later you'll be
working happily away devising the perfect effect for that new
bazouki patch using the "Rotory Spkr-t-Verb" algorithm, when
Hit EFFECT, then 0 to move to the top of the effects menu pages.
You will find that the Hall Reverb algorithm is the one selected for
this program. Also note that the FXl bus is set to 30% wet/dry
mix, and FX2 is set to 57%. Let's check out the voice routing for
you'll suddenly wonder what the bazouki would sound like
through the distortion effect. You'll select the "Cmprss-I-Dist+
Verb" algorithm and check it out. You'll most likely decide that
this sound.
you were better off using the originally intended "Rotory
Spkr-I-Verb" effect, but when you re-select its algorithm you'll find
that all the parameters you've been working so hard to get just
right have reset themselves to the default setting for the effect.
Return to the "SelectVOICE:" page (hit WAVE, then 0) and select
voicel (it should be flashing). Now hit OUTPUT, and then 2 to
move to the "Output Bus" page. You will find that voicel (the
So as we progress and you become more and more adept at creat
piano sound) is being sent to bus FXl (since the display is show
ing "Output Bus=FXl"). Now let's repeat the process with voice2,
the bass sound — select it and then return to the "Output Bus"
ing new and stuiming effects on your SQ, remember this cardinal
rule. If you've developed an effect you like, save the sound you're
working on to memory before trying out new effects. That way, if
page. You'll find that it is also being sent to the FXl bus.
the Screaming Bazouki patch doesn't work out, you can always
re-select the stored version to get back to the effect you'd original
Select "FXl" on this page, and change it to "DRY" by hitting the
Down arrow. If you play the lower half of the keyboard now,
ly created.
you'll find that the bass sound no longer has reverb — it is being
passed directly to the output section without being routed to the ef
fects at all. If you play the piano sound, though, you'll find that it
Anyway, that's how effect busses work when used with single ef
fects. But what happens when you're using multiple effects? Let's
still has reverb, since it is still being routed to FXl. Now let's as
check it out.
sign the bass sound, (voice2), back to the FXl bus. Select "Dry"
and hit the up arrow button once. Now select the piano sound
(voicel) by hitting WAVE, then 0, and selecting the first voice.
Retum now to the "Output" section, and change "FXl" to "FX2."
Notice that the piano now sounds a bit "wetter" — that's because
FX2 is set for a higher percentage of wet-to-dry mix — 57% to be
Using the same bass and piano sound, select the effect and change
it to "CH0RUS+REVERI3," and check out the result by playing a
few notes. You'll find that now the bass is being processed
through the reverb and chorus, while the piano is being processed
through the reverb alone. We can adjust the amount of reverb on
either sound by changing the values for "FXl" and "FX2." For ex
ample, if you want just chorusing on the bass and just reverb on
the piano, set the value for "FXl" to "00." If you want chorusing
on the piano, but not on the bass, however, you'll need to change
the output assignments for the piano and bass voices. From the
output section (hit OUTPUT, then 2) piano would be assigned to
e x a c t . L e t ' s c h e c k t h i s o u t f u r t h e r. H i t t h e " E f f e c t " b u t t o n t o r e t u m
to the effects section. You should be seeing this:
HALL
FX1=30
REVERB
FX2=57
Let's turn the reverb down a bit on the bass, and up a bit on the
the FXl bus, and bass would be assigned to the FX2 bus.
piano. Select the "FXl" bus ("FX1=30"), and use the slider and/or
buttons to change this to something like "16" or so (by the way if
"But how do you adjust the chorus amount?" I hear you asking.
Well, this parameter (along with many others) is adjusted from
within the effect algorithm itself. And this being the beginning of a
fairly deep subject, and me with limited space and limited atten
you set this value to "00," it will have the same effect as bypassing
the effect altogether). Notice now that the reverb sotmd on the bass
has gotten very subtle. Now select the "FX2" bus ("FX2=57"), and
turn it up — let's be crazy and try something like, oh,say "72" — a
tion span, I think
we'd best save this
pretty high value. Notice now that the piano sounds very wet. Let's
try another example.
stuff
for
the
next
i n s t a l l m e n t . ■■
Using the same bass and piano sound that we've been working
with so far, select the effect itself — in this case "HALL RE
VERB" — the words should start flashing. Now hit the up arrow.
The effect should change to "ROOM REVERB." Now hit it again,
Bio:
t w o m o r e t i m e s . Yo u s h o u l d c o m e t o t h e " 8 - V O I C E C H O R U S " e f
the
fect. You'll notice that the 8-Voice Chorus algorithm is preset to a
50% mix for both effect busses. Select the FXl bus, and adjust its
value down to around "38" or so — you'll find that the chorusing
on the bass becomes fairly subtle now, while the chorusing on the
tion, a Portland-
Clark
Salis
bury is a partner in
MIDI
Connec
based consulting
firm. He has been
actively involved in the composition, performance, and recording
of electronic music for over 7 years and is now producing his own
pop-oriented compositions. His favorite color is chrome.
piano remains pretty dramatic.
Now before we go on, I should point something out. If you now
return to the "Hall Reverb" effect, you'll find that the values set
for the FXl and FX2 busses are no longer where we previously set
2
Front
Panel
RND
SQ-80 QUESTIONS — Robert Romano, 607-533-7878. Any oT time.
Ensoniq News
HARD DRIVES & DRIVE SYSTEM — Rob Feiner, Cinetunes. 914963-5818. 11 am —3 pm EST.
New library releases:
EPS/EPS-16+ QUESTIONS — Erech Swanston, Maestro Sounds. 718465-4058. Call anytime. (NY) If message, 24-hr callback.
EPS-16 PLUS/EPS: ESS-17 Jason Miles Signature Series, with
artwork by renowned artist, Peter Max. Jason Miles is one of the
VFX QUESTIONS —Sam Mims,Syntaur Productions. 818-769-4395. (CA).
10 am to 11 pmPST.
top studio synthesist/producers, having worked with Miles Davis,
SEQUENCING — Larry Church, Danlar Music, 503-692-3663. Call anytime.
Marcus Miller and Luther Vandross, among others. This 5 disk
collection of sounds contains some of the strongest all-around
sounds ever released for the EPS series. Also includes a special ap
SQ-80 QUESTIONS — Michael Mortilla, 805-966-7252 weekends and after
5 pm Pacific Time.
pearance by R&B vocalist Nona Hendryx! Suggested retail price:
EPS & EPS-16 PLUS QUESTIONS — Garth Hjelte. Rubber Chicken Soft
$39.95
ware. Pacific Time (WA). Call anytime. If message, 24-hour callback. (206)
467-5668.
SL-8 String Quartet Includes arco and vibrato violin, viola,and
cello, with a special bonus disk of pizzicato strings. Includes 6
ESQ-1 AND SQ-80 QUESTIONS — Tom McCaffrey. ESQUPA. 215830-0241, before 11 pm Eastern Time.
disks and a soimd manual. Suggested retail price: $39.95.
ESQ-1 QUESTIONS — Jim Johnson, (503) 684-0942. 8 am to 5 pm Pacific
Time (OR).
SL-9 Flutes Includes alto, classic, bass, folk, jazz, pan and perc
flutes. Includes 5 disks and a sound manual. Suggested retail price:
EPS/MIRAGE/ESQ/SQ-80 M.U.G. 24-HOUR HOTLINE — 212-4653430. Leave name, number, address. 24-hr Callback.
$39.95.
SAMPLING & MOVING SAMPLES — "Mr. Wavesample" — Jack
Loesch, (201) 264-3512. Eastern Time (N.J.). Call after 6:00 pm.
SD-l/VFX-SD: VSD-1002 120 Sound Programs on disk created
by John Greenland and Clark Salisbury. Includes Performance
MIDI USERS — Eric Baragar, Canadian MIDI Users Group, (613) 392-6296
Presets and sound manual. Suggested retail price: $19.95.
during business hours. Eastern Time (Toronto, ONT) or call MIDILINE BBS
at (613) 966-6823 24 hours.
SQ-1 PLUS, SQ-2, SQ-R PLUS: SC-5 160 Sound Program ROM
card created for Ensoniq by Charles Lanusse. Suggested retail
MIRAGE SAMPLING — Mark Wyar, (216) 323-1205. Eastern time zone
(OH). Calls between 6 pm and 11 pm.
price: $99.95
Hacker News
SQ-1 QUESTIONS — Pat Finnigan, 317-357-3225. 8:00 am to 10:00 pm
E S T.
New names - We'd like to welcome Robert Romano to our Tran-
ESQ-1, MIDI & COMPUTERS — Joe Slater, (404) 925-7929. Eastem time
soniq-Net and Ensoniq infroms us that we can add Dynatek to the
z o n e .
list of approved hard drives for the EPSs.
HYPERSONIQ
Speaking of hard drives... last month Clark announced a special
offer (a chance of winning a Hacker tee-shirt and a free set of En
NEW PRODUCTS
soniq Signature Series sounds) to people who share their hard
drive experiences with the rest of us. Well, we're starting to
receive some responses and they should start to show up in next
month's Interface. For details, see last month's Interface.
K. Thomas announces the new addition of "GROUP J: Saxo
phones" to the K. Thomas library of samples for EPS/16-1. The 7
disk set is made up of solo soprano, alto tenor, and baritone saxes
and a variety of sax sections in true stereo. Saxes may be pur
chased individually or as a complete 7 disk set for $69 (+ $4 s/h).
HEY! We're still looking for some SQ-1 & 2 and VFX & SD-1
A demo tape is available for $4. There's also a demo tape of the
Hackerpatches. Instant near-fame!
complete K. Thomas library for $12. For further information, con
tact: K. Thomas, PO Box 174, Stratford, Ontario, Canada N5A
Oops — Scott Leonhard (who wrote the EPS Signature Series
review in Issue #77), would kinda like it if we at least spelled his
name correctly.
6T1. Phone: 519-271-7964.
Waveboy Industries announces the Waveboy Algorithm Series for
the EPS-16 Plus. For the first time, new effects algorithms are
available for the EPS-16 Plus — the only keyboard that can load
DSP software from disk. Each Waveboy disk contains a collection
of effects which are not available from the EPS operating system.
These effects can be added to any sound or bank, edited, and
saved, just like the original 13 effects that come with the unit.
(These are not sampled sound effects.) The entire series will in
clude AM, FM, and waveshaping synthesis, multi-input combina
tions of effects, 44 kHz versions of effects, EQ, resonant filters,
TRANSONIQ-NET
HELP WITH QUESTIONS
All of the individuals listed below are volunteersl Please take that
into consideration when calling. If you get a recording and leave a
message, let 'em know if it's okay to call back collect (this will
greatly increase your chances of getting a return call).
ALL ENSONIQ GEAR — Ensoniq Customer Service. 9:30 am to noon,
1:15 pm to 6:30 pm EST Monday to Friday. 215-647-3930.
and other new effects. The first disk in the series is the Parallel
3
Effects Disk. These 15 algorithms are designed for sequencing ap
Something is going down at
plications, where different sounds need different effects. Busses 1
& 2 on the EPS are treated as four mono inputs to four parallel ef
fects. (Any resemblance to the DP/4 is purely coincidental.) Each
input and each effect is separately pannable. The effects include
chorus/flanger, guitar effect chain, dely and reverb/ambience. The
Waveboy Parallel Effects Disk is available direct for $33. Foreign
orders, add $6, PA residents add tax. For more information, quan
tity pricing, requests for custom algorithm development, or to
L.B. Music
Get the same quality and services now at a
new lowerpriceUl
• Now with full documentation
• MasterCard and Visa accepted
• Toll-free order line (orders only please)
order, contact: Waveboy Industries, PO Box 233, Paoli, PA 19301,
phone: 215-251-9562.
1-800-3LB-MUSIC
1-800-352-6874
Tested and Approved Hard Drives for the EPSs
L. B. Music Sequences
Note: The drives listed below are krtown to be compatible with the EPS
and EPS-16 PLUS at the time of testing. Changes In firmware or hard
ware by drive manufacturers may make later versions Incompatible (with
the exception of PS Systems, Eltekon, and Frontera whose drives are
configured to work specifically with Ensonlq products). Drives not In
cluded on this list may also work just fine. For up-to-date information
about specific drives call Ensonlq Customer Service: 215-647-3930.
tyiANUFACTURER
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P.O. Box 261, Clifton Heights, PA 19018-0261
215-626-8890/215-533-7122 (Technical Support)
VFX/SD . SD/1. EPS/EPS-16+
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Suite
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S2GBS
voice/FAX
O R D E R TO D AY: ( 8 0 0 ) 8 4 5 - 0 7 5 6
4
V I S A
ESQ & SQ-80 Owners
1
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Forthese
yearsvery
ourQ
pages,
-Specastrumthe™finest,
soundmost
shavdefinitive,
ebeenw
totaily
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sicusse
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ever created for the Ensoniq ESQ-1, ESQ-M, and SQ-80 (ok, so we wouldn't argue otherwise).
And if you missed the two rave reviews we got here in the Hacker from Rik Hall (Q-Spectrum
collection "I") and from Chris Earth (coiiection "M") you've probabiy couldn't avoid seeing
quotes from them (which naturaiiy we've used ad infinitum). But thousands of Ensoniq
owners from iiteraily around the world, took a chance anyway that for once the hype
was for real and purchased our Q-Spectrum collection. They'd fiip out over how much
better they sounded. They'd write us iong ietters to thank us. Call. Beg us for even more
sounds. Pledge to tell all their friends - many who in turn became loyai PatchA/Vorks fans.
And a iot of these fanatics have been Hacker readers (our kind of peopie) so we feel we owe
you guys extra. So to those of you who may have always wanted to own these fiy sounds but
somehow never got around to it, or couldn't afford it at the time, or got our first coiiection
(vois.1&2) but not the second (vois.3&4), check this out...
160-vc ROM
CARTRIDGE
# I o r # 11
$49''!
Both I & II
(All 320 vcs)
$89"!
D I S K
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(Or Datatape)
these
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Ing
ilhtof(albeit
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nomci stu
iao
tin(ugh)Sowewe're
canblowing
noo
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eraforout
dtoonce
keepandanyforn
ivailentowith
ryfora
special price for Hacker readers only! We're offering our two different 160-voice Q-Spectrum
RQM cartridges at below wholesale cost. These are the lowest prices ever. Qriginaliy they sold
for $80 each (and peopie thought it a good deal). So don't miss this last chance to grab these at a
bargain basement price. Once we sell out, that's it forever, so hurry.
MaybWhy
eyou
v'eany
movmore
edumoney
po
t neinwit?eraBecause
ndbgigethat
rgeold
arathing
ndh
tn
ikawclassic
hyboh
tsynth
erwh
tiwithh
tataod
lh
tnig?
put
is
distinctive
classic sound! Even the newest Ensoniq gear doesn't sound like that (sometimes 16-bit can be
just too clean), there's a certain almost analog grunginess there that just cuts through! You
probably still don't even know all that your old synth is capable of. Personally we'd never trade in
our ESQ1 if only for the bass and synth sounds alone because few synths at any price sound
that cool (and if you don't think so, we know you never heard the Q-Spectrum ones). Not to
mention the tons of dynamite keyboards, organs, strings, brass, leads, pads, and everything
else in between you get in both these complete collections. If you have the SQ80 you can get the
entire 320 sound collection on disk for only $44.95.
Gvienh
tsi economy,andsubsequentdownu
trnni h
temuscialnisrtumentnidusrtyandh
tuso
fr
(All 320 vcs)
"third-party" sound developers, frankly we don't know what the future holds. Many other
patch companies have bit the dust. We want to keep supporting you, as we've done since 1985,
with the finest in sound development. You can help keep us going by making a purchase (the
$44"!
perfect gift idea, kids) of any size at this time. We guarantee it will be one of the best sonic
investments you've ever made in your equipment.
Both I & II
Other Collections Also On Sale:
Korg Ml M-Spectrum Vol.1 ~ RQM : $40 RAM: $75 Disk:$25
Roland D50 D-Spectrum Vols. 1,2,&3 ~ ROM card: $40 each
(or2/$75 3/$105) RAM: $75 Disk: $25/vol. (2/$45 All 3/$68)
Yamaha TX81Z Collection (388 FM vcs) Tape/Disk: $25
Casio CZ Voi.1 book (32 hot soundsheets) Blowout! $8.50 (ppd)
Korg Poly 800 Coiiection (64 vcs) Datatape:$14 (mk I)
TO ORDER: We wouldn't want you
to cut up your nice Hacker just for
an order form so simply send us
mall orders only. Please Include
$3.25 for S/H (NY residents Include
sale tax). We ship first class mall.
y o u r n a m e , a d d r e s s , a n d p fi o n e
number along wltti your check or a
money order, (checks please allow
10-12 days to clear; lyl.O.'s shipped
in 24 hrs.) fylentlon you saw this ad
here. These special prices are for
3.5"
lilU^iC ^OFu\VA4E
PO Box 450 Dept.TH New York, NY 10024 (212)873-2390
Disk
Formats:
SQ-80
l y 1 a c : O p c o d e / G a l a x y S T: a l l
formats, or "Injector". Our 160-vc
permanent memory ROM carts are
100% fully compatible with your
equipment.
H A C K E R B A S E M E N T TA P E S
Foreign Music
Daniel Mandel
struments. The colors in Michael's palette range from mellow
to magnificent, from tragic to triumphant. Some of them are
Tapes: Cathedral Volumes I & n
Contact: Michael Jon Sohns, PO Box 71243, Milwaukee, WI53211-7343
long pieces, and have movements contained within. One of the
wonderful aspects of this music is reading about what inspired
each song. Many of his pieces have come from other works of
art, books and music that inspired him, lighting a fire in his im
agination. Listening to these tapes left me with the "feel" of a
Equipment:
EPS, Casio CZ-101, Casio SK-1, Boss BX-8 Stereo Mixer.
Sony SEQ-9 Equalizer, Sony TC-W320 Stereo Cassette, and
foreign film. On my usual bus ride to work I was transported
to... some land with a different sensibility, a different approach.
I found myself waiting for Fellini to yell, "Cut!"
P i o n e e r C T- F 5 0 0 S t e r e o D e c k .
[The second volume used all of the above less the SK-1, plus a
Casio VZ-IOM.]
Although there are many solo sections, this is not minimalistic
music. Michael admits that "Something Old, New, Borrowed,
Blue" on the first tape might sound a little Phillip Glass-ish —
This review contains another pair of cassettes both submitted
"some deep dark timbres that grow lighter and lighter." And
then he adds, "some re-worked rock chords that soimd familiar,
and yet very different in this context." Silence on Michael's
by the same person. On the J-card is this musician's stated in
tent of purpose: Classical-style music on sampler and syn
thesizer. His first tape, entitled "Cathedral," has four pieces on
tape was treated with what I would call a relaxed respect.
Maybe Michael's been influenced by John Cage's views on
what an important part silence can play in music. Whomever
influenced Michael, it was not always important to him to have
the tape filled with sound.
it. "Clouds and Water," "I Will HuntYou Down," "Zen Duet,"
and "Cathedral" in four cantos. The second tape is simply
labeled Second Volume and has seven pieces. "Harpersong,"
"Steel," "Tao Jones" (pronounced DOW JONES), "Canon for
Strings and Voices," "Something Old, New, Borrowed, Blue,"
"Gargoyle's Dance," and "Dragon Suite." I wanted to include
the titles of the pieces here so that you could get at least a hint
of Michael's imagery in his music.
Some of the voice choices on these solo sections bothered me.
A few of them worked very well. Specifically there were a
couple of "whistle" patches that were beautiful. Also the vibes,
piano and the synth solo horn patches were great. There was, as
I was thinking that, from the outside, one can look at an
electronic musician much the way one looks at a visual artist
far as I can tell, little if any signal processing on this tape. The
ambience of the piece was dependent on any particular sound's
whose tool is a computer. For instance an artist using a com
puter has a range of option not available to a painter using con
decay (as was the case with the vibes). Many of the solo
patches used were completely dry. I've heard this used as a
very dramatic effect, especially when it stands out in contrast to
ventional methods. Think of the choices of color alone. A
a very "wet" environment. On Michael's tape, though, in places
it detracted from the overall feel. I often wanted just a hint of
computer artist can choose from a jillion colors and then blend
them together. In addition there are choices of brush stroke,
kind and size. You can even determine what kind of paper you
reverb.
will be "virtually" painting on as different kinds of paper ab
sorb different kinds of paints differently!
This tape is not an attempt to mimic acoustic instruments.
Many of the sounds are down-and-dirty AM and analog sounds.
It is not a wide and varied mixture, with probably no more than
20 to 50 sounds total used. Some of the strings are biting and
The parallel for the electronic musician here is that when an
artist composes a song, even with a modest home MIDI set up,
there are many choices to be made. How do you begin to
realistic while others are nasal and layered.
choose from among hundreds or thousands of sounds? When
the sounds are chosen, how does the artist process them? We
all know that different sounds act differently in different kinds
The second volume begins with a harpsichord and a synthetic
bass. As the piece progresses, a rather snappy snare and percus
sion beat kicks in. This is one of the quirkier moments on both
tapes. Moods change very quickly on some of these pieces. It's
of rooms! Then the artist has to consider that while each soimd
separately may sound wonderful or wimpy he's got to mix
those sounds together. Finally what sounds one way on a
master may sound slightly altered on a mass produced copy.
this progression, this change of feeling that comes with it, that
is often the basis of the response.
On these two tapes the genre is classical. The sounds are a mix
The last song on the first side of the second volume is especial
ly beautiful and fascinating, the kind of music I get caught up
ture of modem synthesizer sounds and samples of classical in6
in. The synthetic voices take on a human aspect as they begin
to sing out what was barely discernible in the introduction. It is
cluded in their concerts. Maybe in your area you can find some
support and interest.
called "Canon for Strings and Voices."
Thanks for the great music! h
In his accompanying letter, Michael writes, "I've sent out demo
tapes to publishers and record companies. Maybe my demos are
too long but I don't know how to present my songs except in
their entirety (as I hear them, at least.)" To Michael I'd say the
If you want your tape run through the ringer, err. Hacker, just
mail it off to; Basement Tapes, Transoniq Hacker, 1402 SW
Upland Dr., Portland OR 97221.
following. First, if you're sending the entire work it's no longer
a demo tape. What's your goal in sending out these tapes? Are
you looking for a record deal? Would you be interested in
having your music performed by a group? Are there other
Bio: Daniel Mandel is a songwriter,
sound designer, and has sold pro
audio and keyboard equipment and
avenues, such as student films or commercial work, where your
music can be combined with others' visual arts? Are there radio
stations. University or public, that may consider airing your
tapes? There may already be avenues for your music. I know
that while I was there the students at the University of Min
nesota were pushing for more student written pieces to be in
Wave
produced demo tapes for local bands.
Mutilation 101
Backwards Masking
Jack Stephen Tolin
Ever since the begirming of sound synthesis, people have had
a higher dream of a machine that could do even more. In fact,
To make up for the difference while increasing the emphasis,
I also had the filter and chorus open up over time as well as
the Amp. Modulating the chorus rate by timbre seems to bring
about just the right effect. To enhance the climax I had the
my "ideal" machine would be a cross of the EPS-16 PLUS,
WS A/D, and JD-800. However, until this monster comes
along, I am quite content with my SQ-80 and SQ-R.
Amp cut off all of the waves at the same time on a single key.
Because I was using time as a crucial factor, I had to shut the
Having said that, let's begin.
keyboard Pitch Tracking off (since the Amp cutoff for each
key would be different).
For a while now I've been quite interested in the backward
wave fvmction. After realizing that really terrific analog-like
sounds could be manufactured by simply reversing the direc
tion of a brass wave for the attack and adding the classic saw
wave or transwave, I wondered how could I possibly use this
That's basically why I did what I did. Although it's not really
the kind of patch you would use in all of your songs, it does
its duty in providing a model for creative applications in back
ward masking your waves. How? I'm glad I asked myself just
that question for you. The key is subtlety. If you think in
terms of Cross-wave synthesis, it becomes even more practi
cal to simply attack the reversed brass wave to another wave
by fading the waveform in while fading the backward wave
out. This opens up many more options in sound creation pos
sibilities. BUILD UP is just a more extreme example, but it
reveals that the practical potential for using backward waves
concept to create something so incredibly obnoxious that
people would either be blown away at the imagination in
volved or doubt my sanity.
The answer was finally revealed in a somewhat basic idea:
Take the most obviously explosive waves, reverse them and
emphasize their backwardness. At this point, my choices were
pretty obvious: BIG BLAST, ORCHESTRA HIT, and POT
LID HIT. My intention was to align the waves in such a way
that they would all end at once after the key-down. Theoreti
does, in fact, exist.
So whether you're trying to create some fun sounds for a song
like "Dangerous" or just amuse your friends, we at Wave
Mutilation 101 aim to please! h
cally, this would make a sound-ramp, so to speak, by building
up from the end of the waves and eventually climax at the
beginning. As I found out later, however, there's a major fac
tor involved that throws the theory almost out the window: the
actual lengths of the waves involved are NOT equal. But since
they were the most distinct, these waves were definitely prime
Bio: Jack is currently a Psychology major at Eastern
Nazarene College in Quincy, MA and thoroughly enjoys
choice.
mutilating his waveforms.
7
ENV1
1
2
3
Initial
Initial
99
9 9
9 9
Peak
Peak
9 9
9 9
9 9
Break
Break
6 5
6 5
6 5
Sustain
Sustain
0
1
0
FX-1
5 0
Attack
Attack
0
0
5 0
FX-2
5 0
Decay 1
Decay 2
Decay 1
Decay 2
2 0
1 0
5 0
Chorus Rate
0
9 9
6 9
9 9
Chorus Depth
9 9
Release
Release
0
19
5 0
Chorus Center
0
Ve i - L e v e i
Ve l - L e v e l
0
0
0
Feedback
0
Ve i - A t t a c k
Ve l - A t t a c k
0
0
0
Ve i C u r v e
Vel Curve
MOD (Dest)
BY (MODSRC)
Timbre
Mode
Mode
Finish
Finish
Finish
MODAMT
+99
KBD Track
KBD Track
0
0
0
1
2
3
ENV2
Effects Programming
8-VOICE CHORUS
Rate
oftl-uue
Coses for
Ensonhi Bqu^pmait
Now available direct from factory (except in current dealer
areas) our full line of ATA cases Category 1 and II
Keyboards: EPS, EPS-16 PLUS, VEX, VFX-sd,
SQ-80, SQ-1, SQ-1+, SQ-2
Module rack cases: 3-space, 4-space, 5-space, 6-space.
(2-space racks available with surface
mount hardware only.)
Shown: 4-space rack with EPS-16 PLUS module,
Mention the (TH) code number 839 when inquiring to
receive our special factory direct pricing.
2-space rack, Eagle-I VFX-sd case
CALL us AT 1-800-637-6635
8:00 am to 4:30 pm CT, Men. - Fri.
We accept: COD, Visa, Mastercard, American Express.
OPTI-CASE . RT. 6, BOX 235 • HENDERSON, TX 75652 • FAX: 903-657-6030
8
And Now For Something a Little
Different...
Free
stuff
(sorta)
Daniel
MaM
effect is usually activated by pressure." This makes for a
wonderful sense of control and expression. My favorite among
the organ sounds is called COMBO*ORGAN. It was exception
ally full and powerful without being overbearing. Sounds like
Product: 60 voice patches plus 20 presets.
For: VFX,VFX-sd and SD-1.
From: Dr. Brad Kaufman, 11-26 Saddle River Rd, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410.
Price: Offered as trade for original VFX programs, no tweaks, copy
I'm describing wine! And then we're given three different vibes
righted sounds, etc.
which are wonderfully simple and pure. The one sound-effect is
the MA BELL pair of patches. Put them together and you can
It's not often opportunities like this arise. What we have here,
for you recession weary musicians, is a deal. Dr. Brad has
actually dial a phone with it! Try it with a VFX-sd, however,
and this patch somehow makes your system crash! It worked.
My system crashed. The patch does works fine on the plain
vanilla VFX and SD-1, according to the programmer.
cranked out an EEPROM of 60 sounds available for trading.
Programming, for him, is obviously a labor of love, and he's
been painstakingly thorough in creating some very playable
All along the way Dr. Brad has gone out of his way to really
make each patch work. The patch select buttons actually make
patches. Being a programmer is a glory-less job. The better a
sound is made, the less we think about the programmer and the
more we focus on what a wonderful piece of hardware we have
in front of us. and having said that, let's step into Dr. Brad's
world of programming and see what he has for us...
interesting changes. About his own collection Dr. Brad says,
"There are 59 high-cholesterol sounds (some of them even
repeat on me!), 1 sound effect, and 20 presets. No soimdtrack or
B-Movie background effects are included in this set, and there
is no filler. Incredible gobs of time were expended program
Electric Keyboards and Pianos
ming the sounds, modulation and effects. Without a doubt, I can
say that no other programmer has turned out so many sounds
this slowly!"
Some of these approach the exhaulted Rhodes, each one evok
ing its own mood and they all sound wonderful across the range
of the entire keyboard. TREMOLO PNO is a very inspiring
sound that could be used for solo work or with simple, minimal
The patch presets that Dr. Brad includes help to show off the
sounds he's produced. The organ preset only improves the al
instrumentation. FLANGED PNO, however interesting sound
ing, struck me as a bit odd although for the right piece it might
be just the right touch. I had a problem with the name on
CLAVI-ROADS — I mean I've heard a few Rhodes pianos and
while this does sound a bit like a Rhodes, it doesn't soimd like a
ready great organ sounds he started out with. The VIBES preset
uses one of the patch selects that allows just a shimmer of a
background string section through to delicately shadow each
note. I could play that preset all day long. One preset uses a
Clavinet-anything. The point is that while the name seems
wrong, the patch is great! Dr. Brad includes an interesting note
about SINGIN.PNO, "...patch select buttons give three different
patch called GOODOLDAYS* three different ways — a good
example of how much thought went into each sound. Some of
the presets seemed too intense to be very expressive.
percussive variations including FM tine, dripping water, and
breaking glass (with pitch adjustable by pressure)." A lot of
careful planning has gone into these patches, and yet he also
writes that most of the sounds started out as pure accident, " and
package of two commercial sound sets. How do they compare?
Dr. Brad's collection is meat and potatoes. The sounds are all
then I tweaked and tweaked and tweaked until it sounded right."
sotmds we know and love and use\ Filler? Did someone mention
I received Dr. Brad's collection the same day I got my UPS
filler? If I threw away all of the filler sounds on one of the col
lections I bought, it would be empty! Dr. Brad is interested in
Brass and Woodwinds
reinforcing the supply of staple instruments, the basics, and
CLARINET 1 is realistic enough and would work fine in a mix
with other instruments. MLO TRUMBA is a great horn sound.
Had to bend notes on this one to get that trombone slide, and
doing it well.
This set is worth trading up for — and remember if you're inter
ested in getting started with programming one good way to start
there was where I found one of the few problems in this set.
When I adjusted the mod wheel in the upper octaves this sound
is by taking apart a few good examples. Find a sound that you
gets a bit noisy.
love and see what makes it do what it does!
Organs and Vibes and one cranky Sound Effect
Dr. Brad is interested in trading his sounds for your sounds. So
contact the Doctor, set up a fair trade and show him some of
The organs are all very wonderful. Dr. Brad says, "Organ
sounds have good low-end frequency response and roto-speaker
your medicine! h
9
B u i l d a C o n t r o l Vo l t a g e
Interface/Selector for the EPS
Charles R. Fischer
by the actions of readers. This project should not be attempted
Intro
by persons lacking basic electronics skills. An excellent book
Back in my article, "Much More than a Volume Pedal" (July
for the uninitiated is fellow Hacker, Craig Anderton's,
'91), I discussed ways of using the CV/pedal jack on most Ensoniq instruments with extemal control voltage sources. Thanks
to a few cards and letters from a few interested readers, I'm
gonna discuss some more intriguing uses of this feature and
suggest a few do-it-yourself construction projects.
"Electronic Projects for Musicians" (available from the Mix
Bookshelf, 6400 Hollis St., #12, Emeryville, CA 94608).
The schematic diagram of the interface circuit is illustrated in
Fig. 1. Incoming 0-to- 4-lOV control voltages are connected to
Jl. Rl, R2, and ICl form the heart of our circuit, which is
known in the electronics world as an "inverting amplifier."
In this installment, I'll present a very simple electronic circuit
that is designed for use with the original EPS sampler. Due to
its design, the EPS requires a negative-going control voltage —
unlike the remainder of Ensoniq instruments (and 98% of
As the name implies, the inverting amp has the interesting
talent of producing output signals that are 180 degrees out of
phase with the input signal — negative input voltages become
positive output voltages, and vice versa. This is exactly what
we need to convert positive control voltages into something
that your EPS can use.
music synthesizers ever made).
The circuit described in this article allows you to use the typi
cal positive-going control voltage with your EPS; it also allows
you to switch between a regular footpedal, and the CV input,
without having to repatch things. Best of all, this circuit is so
In order to do its job, ICl needs a regulated bipolar power
simple and cheap, that almost anyone should be able to wire it
supply that can furnish -i- and - 12 to 15 Volts at 100 mA. Be
up without much trouble!
cause this circuit handles both positive and negative voltages at
its inputs and outputs, we need to have a power supply that can
How It Works
provide both positive and negative voltages. I do not recom
mend using batteries for this application, as they have the nasty
ACHTUNG! While every reasonable effort has been made to
verify the accuracy of this article, neither the author, or this
tendency to drift with age (which affects the circuits accuracy),
and they have a knack for going dead — usually just before an
magazine will be held responsible for any damages that result
important gig. Spend a few bucks more for a decent power
supply, and you won't be sorry. CI and C2 are provided to fil
ter out any transients or noise on the power supply lines; this
J2 - Footpedal
helps to keep them from showing up in the output signal.
Ti p
By adding switch SI and an extra phone jack, we can switch
between the control voltage, or the footpedal. The pedal plugs
A
into J2, and the interface is connected to the EPS via J3. SI is
Shield
used to connect either the CV output, or the footpedal, to J3.
Pedal
C V
Shield
R 2
J1 - CV In
I
Ti p
R l
f q
6
5
3
4
I C l
+12to+I5V
—
A
C I
—
<
Ground
Shield
C 2
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the CV pedal interface.
-12 to-15 V
1 0
that you know that everything is working, you can move on to
experimenting with different control voltages with the EPS.
Building Hints
Due to the simplicity of this project, it should be no problem to
put together. You can use a perfboard or one of the prototype
Help Us Decide...
circuit boards sold at Radio Shack stores, or even etch and drill
We'd like to invite your suggestions for other control voltage
your own printed circuit board if you're truly hardcore.
projects in this series. Two ideas that I had in mind were a
breath controller interface, and an envelope follower. If you
have any ideas for other projects — or have a specific feature
that you'd like to see implemented in a project — please drop
The interface and its power supply should be mounted into an
appropriate case; I recommend using a single-height rack
mount chassis. While this is more expensive than other alterna
tives, it's sturdy enough for professional use, and it has plenty
of leftover room for other projects. A suggested layout for the
me a line:
front and back panels is shown in Fig. 2.
Charles R. Fischer
P. O. Box 5372, Hercules, CA 94547
A good source of inexpensive rack chassis is PAIA Electronics
(3200 Teakwood Lane, Edmond, OK 73013). They sell the
RCEl, a single-height chassis, for $19.95 and $2.00 P&H. In
addition, they also sell black rack panels and both 12 and 15
Volt bipolar power supply kits. To get a catalog, you can call
Please remember to include a SASE if you want me to reply;
thanks in advance for writing. Finally, I'd like to thank my
friend (and Electronic Musician Managing Editor) Steve Oppenheimer, for the use of his EPS.
'em at (405) 340-6300.
Testing and Troubleshooting
Parts List For The EPS CV Interface
Once everything has been wired up, take a few minutes to in
ICl: 741, TL 071, or TL 081 generic op amp
spect your handiwork. Make sure that there are no obvious
problems like cold solder joints, or missing insulation on wires,
and that polarized components (like the IC, CI, and 02) are
oriented correctly. Everything look OK?
Rl, 2: 100k (100,000) Ohms @ 1/4 Watt
CI, 2: 1 uF (1 microFarad) @ 25V (or greater), electrolytic or
tantalum capacitors
Jl, 2, 3: Stereo 1/4" phone jacks
SI: single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) toggle or slide switch
Before we hook up the interface to your EPS, turn on the power
and make sure that it doesn't smoke or catch fire. If you have
access to a voltmeter, check the power supplies to make sure
that they are operating.
Bio.: Charles R. Fischer is a well-known author, musician, syn
thesizer programmer, and electronics designer. He's hoping to
Finally, hook up a control voltage source to Jl, a footpedal to
find a day job as an electronic technician pretty soon as he's
getting married next April, and he will have to be paying a few
J2, and coimect J3 to the EPS CV jack with a stereo guitar cord.
Assign the EPS pedal to volume, and verify that the EPS
responds to both control voltage and footpedal operation. Once
expenses.
Front Panel
° ;
2'
Pedal
i °
'
f
1
(Note: Since the views are facing opposite directions, the switch
Rear Panel and the connectors ate actually on the same end of the rack.)
11
o
Pitch
Ta b l e s
and P e r c u s s i o n
R e d u x
Bryce Inman
In Transoniq Hacker Issue #67, an article which I had
written titled "Pitch Tables and Percussion" appeared.
(Actually, it didn't just appear — the editor put it in there.
She can do some pretty incredible things, but she can't just
something like PITCH TBL = STANDARD. (STANDARD
is the pitch table you would normally use for melodic in
struments such as the piano.) Next, scroll up or down until
the display reads PITCH TBL = NO PITCH and that's it!
make things appear.) The premise of that article was this: I
Play a few keys and you will find that every key plays the
wanted to make several keys on my EPS play exactly the
sample assigned to it at exactly the same rate. Wasn't that
easy? Who says keyboard programming has to be dif
same pitch so that I could play percussion rolls, flams, etc.
by simply rolling my fingers across several keys. To do
this I created a pitch table in which several keys played a
sample at the same rate. For example, I set up a pitch table
fi c u l t ?
Of course, this method is only useful if you want every
key to play exactly the same rate. If you want an octave or
where C2=C2, D2=C2, E2=C2, etc.
two of pitched toms, for example, you might want to refer
back to my first article which explains the simple steps for
mapping out the entire keyboard in any configuration you
Shortly after that issue of the Hacker hit the stands. Garth
Hjelte, a fellow Hacker writer and the mastermind behind
Rubber Chicken Software (and whom some believe to be
desire.
Elvis's evil twin) called me up and said, "Wow! That was
are truly the king of all writers. Surely you will be granted
Since each of the EPS's eight layers can have its own
pitch table, another alternative is to assign pitched percus
knighthood one day!"
sion to one layer and non-pitched percussion to another. In
Actually, what he really said was that, while he had found
this case, select STANDARD PITCH for the layer with
pitched percussion and NO PITCH for the layer of non-
absolutely the most exquisite article I have ever read. You
the article informative, there was a simpler way to ac
complish my goal of making all of the keys play back a
sample at the same rate. Unwittingly, he went on to give
pitched percussion.
me the idea for a second article on Pitch Tables.
Thanks for the tip Carth, but I'm
not sharing the check for this ar
ticle unless you send me a free
If you don't tell it to do something differently, the EPS
hard drive! m
automatically plays the samples it has loaded with a stan
dard pitch table. What this means is that, after you tell the
EPS which is the root key for a particular sample, it will
play the sample at unity (the rate at which it was recorded)
on only that key. The first key to the right will play that
sample at a rate that makes it sound a half step higher, the
next key will play it another step higher, and so on.
Bio: Bryce Inman is a free-lance
music editor and arranger for
Word, Inc. in Irving, TX. Although
he has decided to make Texas his
permanent home, he refuses to say
yall" or Jixin'."
The people at Ensoniq were kind enough to make bypass
ing the standard pitch table an extremely easy process. To
get all of the keys to have no transposition, follow these
simple steps: First, make sure you are working with the
correct layer. To do this, press Edit and then Instrument;
the display will show you which layers are active. (If more
than one layer is displayed you might want to turn off all
but one layer so that you are certain that you are hearing
exactly what you are doing.) Next, press Edit again and
make sure the correct layer is selected (if you are working
with layer 1 the readout should say "LYR =1").
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Please let us know at least four weeks in advance to avoid miss
ing any issues. The Post Office realiy will NOT reliably forward
this type of mail. (Believe us, not themi) We need to know both
your old and your new address. (Issues missed due to iate or no
Now press Layer and scroll to the right or left until you
get to the page for the Pitch Table. It will probably read
change notification are your own dumb fault—we mailed themI)
12
I s Yo u r H a r d D r i v e O i v i n g Yo u a H a r d Ti m e ?
D a v e P. W o r t h
After purchasing my EPS, it took me about 15 minutes to real
ize the need for a memory expansion. The next day I started to
shop around the mail order dealers, soon finding that if I ever
was to get a SCSI interface, it would have to be compatible
with the memory (the same manufacturer). So by day 3 I was in
the market for both, even though I didn't yet see the need for a
hard drive. Being a computer systems design engineer, I
analyzed the market and picked the cheapest. (They all work
the same don't they?) Well, the first one I received didn't, but
the company was very helpful and sent another the next day,
2. The hard drive was working and I could store and retrieve
data, but it refused to boot from the hard drive. I soon found
that the EPS will not recognize drive "zero" as a boot device;
setting it to "one" did the trick.
3. After using the unit for a couple of hours, it started to
produce garbage. This was no reflection on my playing skills
but was a fault. I rebooted the unit and it failed to tune the key
board. This repeated several times. After the unit had been left
powered down for a while, it recovered, only to fail again in the
same manner a few hours later. The problem had to be power
which has been fine ever since.
supply drift due to the extra loading or overheating.
Not being near an Ensoniq dealer, I fitted the unit myself which
was very quick and easy and didn't even cost me my warranty
— I'd lost that by taking the thing to bits to poke around the
To cut a long story short, the problem was a ground loop
through the disk drive via the SCSI to the keyboard. Solution:
Remove the ground pin from the disk drive supply plug and let
it ground through the SCSI. I have also seen this same problem
on an ESQ with a floppy drive on the MIDI port. Even though
the MIDI is optically coupled to avoid ground loops, they still
day after I bought it.
The extra memory was a great help, but it does make loading
slow and storing banks tedious when you need 3 disks to dump
it onto, so I took the plunge and started hunting down a hard
drive. Guess what? The same company won again on price.
connect the shield on both ends of the cable.
When the drive arrived, I started on a new adventure resulting
A common symptom which will let you know if you are suffer
in a few tips which may be of interest to any new hard drive
ing a ground loop problem is "noise on the audio outputs"
when loading from and saving to disk. To be sure, try powering
up the EPS with the hard drive connected but not plugged into
the supply. Turn up the volume and listen if there is a sig
nificant increase in noise as you plug in the drive (still with the
drive turned off). If there is, you have probably found the
o w n e r .
1. The SCSI plug usually comes fitted with locking screws to
avoid accidental removal whilst the unit is powered up, which
could result in all sorts of electronic nasties. But the studs to
receive these screws are not fitted to the EPS, as the rear panel
problem. The best solution is to isolate the drive case from the
drive while leaving the case grounded to the supply and the
carrying the SCSI connector is too thick to allow their fitting
and still have the coimector properly seated. Solution: Remove
drive grounded through the SCSI interface. A simpler solution
is to remove the ground pin from the drive supply plug, which
probably breaks all of the federal regulations but what the heck,
the connector and panel and file 1/8 " out of the hole to allow
the connector to be fitted to the outside face. Then fit your
"Radio Shack" retaining studs and refit the panel and connec
tor. The plug can now be fixed in place with no fear of
problems.
LT h
I'm British.
4. If you constantly write and erase data on your drive, you can
end up with the disk "fragmented"; don't panic. This refers to
the state in which the data is stored and can be rectified by a
^
back-up and reload of the drive (a tedious task if you don't
have a tape streamer). The fragmentation causes the disk access
time to be greatly increased. The way to avoid this is not to
Tgi"
1
,1.
keep erasing data, which is no problem on sound samples but is
normal when writing songs. Here is a good way to overcome
this and to make the best use of your sound banks.
Original
When you have put together a group of sounds and put down
your song, the next thing to do is to save it. Before you rush off
1
tC [
;
1
)l
:
Ill
1
.
i;
■
and save the song in your "songs directory" on the hard drive,
^
try changing the storage device back to the good old floppy and
save the song there. Next go back to the bank directory on the
hard drive and save the sound bank. What's so good about
'
keeping songs on a floppy, you may ask. Well, not only does it
get rid of the disk fragmentation problem, but your sound bank
M o d i fi e d
1 3
is no longer dedicated to one sound. It is now a "band" or or
5. Where do you put a hard drive when you only have an SCSI
cable one foot long? Answer: Under the keyboard. Go to your
chestra, depending on the type of music you play. When you
load that sound bank and answer "YES" to "LOAD SONG
local office supplier and purchase an under-swung, ventilated,
hard drive support bracket c/w with cable entries. This is other
TOO?", the EPS will go off and load the bank and the song that
wise known as a wire frame desk "In Tray." Drop in your drive
and hang it on your keyboard stand with a couple of suspension
file supports (with the ends bent over to stop it from sliding
happens to be on the disk in the floppy drive, whatever its title
is, so you can use the same "band" for various songs.
The EPS will also pick the right directory on the floppy. So if
off) and then put your keyboard back on the stand. I even
sprayed the file supports black, but then, I'm an engineer, h
you create various directories with the same set of names on a
few floppies, you can keep a song for each "band" on each
floppy in the appropriate directory thus allowing you to store
lots of songs on each floppy but of course, only one for each
Address: Dave P. Worth, Senior Systems Design Engineer, do
"band."
Wales Road, Sheffield S9 4EX, England .
Davy McKee (Sheffield) Ltd., Automation Division, Prince of
T h e Tr i a l s a n d Tr i b u l a t i o n s of Using the
VFX-sd With a Sync Box
Michael Mooney
When Ensoniq released its latest sequencer update for the
VFX-sd (Ver. 2.10), part of the update was supposed to correct
The first thing to check is whether or not your sync box has a
the VEX sequencer's unreliable relocating when slaved to an ex
parently, some sync boxes like the J. L. Cooper PPS-1 have such
switch that regulates the speed of its data transmission. Ap
ternal clock, i.e., a sync box, drum machine or external sequen
a switch. If it does, it should be set to the slower of the two
cer — any configuration in which the VEX sequencer clock is
set to EXT and must read song position pointer data from an ex
speeds. I'm told this will allow the VEX sequencer the necessary
time to read the S.P.P. data and relocate more reliably.
ternal source. While the 2.10 update does seem to improve the
VEX sequencer's reliability when slaved to a drum machine or
external sequencer, it definitely leaves something to be desired
when it comes to dealing with sync boxes.
If, like me, your sync box doesn't have this switch and you're
working with roughly the same configuration as shown in Figure
1, then it's time to do some repatching.
In Figure 1 we see what would be the typical configuration when
Basically, it's a fairly simple procedure. Just repatch the con
figuration by placing the drum machine between the sync box
using the VEX-sd with a sync box and drum machine.
and the VEX-sd. What this does is force the drum machine to
read the S.P.P. data from the sync box and the the VEX sequen
cer is synced to the drum machine. It's important that you hook
the MIDI IN of the VEX to the MIDI OUT of the drum machine
and not to the MIDI THROUGH which will basically put you
back into Figure 1. Also, if the drum machine's MIDI OUT has a
"soft thru," make sure it's set to OFF.
The sync box is the master clock that's sent first to the VEX-sd
then through to the drum machine. Now in a perfect world, both
the VEX-sd and the drum machine should always relocate ac
curately to the same spot when fed S.P.P. data from the sync
box. Unfortunately, this is not the case. It seems that when
relocating short distances of approximately 10 to 15 bars, the
VEX sequencer will accurately lock on with the drum machine.
But when dealing with any distance longer than 15 bars the VEX
I'm happy to report this solution worked for me. I now have no
sequencer relocates incorrectly. Meanwhile, the $400 drum
problems with the VEX-sd relocating improperly. BUT — this
does seem to be a band-aid solution to something that should be
long the distance.
dealt with by Ensoniq. For instance, what if your setup just
doesn't happen to have a drum machine? You're basically out of
luck. If you're in this situation, raise the noise level at Ensoniq
machine manages to always relocate perfectly, no matter how
After a rather long discussion with Ensoniq's Customer Service
Department, they provided me with a couple of possible solu
— maybe the next sequencer update will nail this one. mm
tions.
14
Who
Lurk
Knows
What
Waveforms
in the Heart of an SQ-80?
Syntaur Knowsl
Michael Mortilla
with it, but if it weren't for her, we might all be speaking Latin
today. In general, what these hidden waves add is a sort of
"sheen" to the sounds, making them sparkle a little more than
you might expect from an SQ-80. I did notice some digital
noise occasionally, but I've come to accept that as part of the
Product: Soundset 4.
For: SQ-80.
Price: $17.95 US.
From: Syntaur Productions, 11116 Aqua Vista #2, North Hollywood, CA
91602 (818)769-4315.
SQ-80 sound. When the filter is closed down, the noise disap
pears, but so does the sheen, so we need to trade off just a little.
Fortunately, Sam has incorporated filter cuts into the pedal and
mod wheel, and this helps alleviate the unwanted noise at
precisely the right time but without sacrificing the sparkle.
Just when you thought it was safe to open the Hacker again, out
pops another review by that mean, awful, terrible ogre, Mortilla. Well this time I'm really on the warpath! It seems I've ruf
fled a few feathers with my previous rantings in this mag, and
I'm here to put another vendor's product through the proverbial
While we are on the subject of pedals and mod wheels, it is im
portant to note that in these patches, Sam has taken great care
in programming different effects for those devices. You could,
as the extensive program notes suggest, tweak the patch if you
don't have a mod wheel. But not only will you be losing out on
a tremendously expressive modulation source, you'll lose some
of the flexibility programmed into the sounds.
ringer! But this time there's a twist. This time I'm going to
write the review, then give a peek to the vendor, let him defend
himself and answer some questions, and then you get to see it.
Now if this weren't enough, the guy who created these sounds
is none other than our own Hackerpatcher Sam Mims! And, to
top it all off, he and I met in person to discuss this over lunch!
He was close enough to wallop me into Moogatory (and on
Sunset Blvd., nobody would have noticed or cared!). But we'll
For example, in lONBEL, Sam has created a haunting bell
sound. In this patch, the wheel sweeps the filter while the pedal
assists LFO 1 in panning the sound. You could do both with the
wheel, but then you always have to do both. You might want to
do a sweep and save the p arming effect for the end of the song.
No pedal? No dice! I strongly recommend using the pedal at
least to audition these sounds. Frankly, I need the pedal more
for volume control in a live performance, but it is a very ex
get to all that later. Let's hit the sounds.
Soundset 4 is a bank of 40 patches for the SQ-80 series. But
this is no ordinary bank of sounds. Sam has found a way to ac
cess "hidden waveforms" in the SQ-BO by manipulating the
operating system. More specifically, waves 128 to 202! Six of
the 40 patches use these waves, so they'll be first.
pressive controller, as Sam has demonstrated in this bank. By
the way, try the begiiming of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
SPACBL is sort of a cross between a glass harmonica and mel
low church organ, with a nice smooth sustain. The mod pedal
adds enharmonics in the high end. Wave 192 has a pristine bell
like quality which kicks in at high velocity, and this is precisely
how WNDCHM creates... well, a wind chime! Again in
with
lONBEL.
Okay, so here we are, over 750 words into the review and I've
covered just seven sounds! So let's go... CIANI is yet another
bell sound but this time the pedal adds a kind of hummingbird
twitter. Very cool. SQZ-ME is calliope like, that is until you
GHSTBL, wave 192 is used, but this time the mod wheel drops
the filter for a wide sweep. I also assigned the wheel to modu
add some controllers! Pressure adds a filter sweep, the mod
wheel adds a twitter and the pedal removes the breath wave.
late all the oscillators by -03 for a little spookier effect.
Play a C major triad at C3, apply pressure to the chord. Then,
apply the wheel and the pedal and when they are at full, release
the chord. It goes sailing off into digital heaven! My tweak on
this on was to set pan to 0 and have it modulated by pressixre at
4-63. The result is an additional stereo sweep when you initially
Wave 163 is used for the "glass tines" effect in NBWEP and to
a very pleasant end, indeed. ORBITS uses wave 153 for a
metallic sound, where the pedal closes down the filter some
what. Again, I preferred a more radical effect, so I modulated
the filter with the pedal by -63 instead of the original -39. But
this is purely a personal preference. Finally, the last hidden
press down, but then a return to the original speaker when you
release the chord. I haven't had this much fun with my SQ-80
wave (great title for something) is found in ITS 4U, where
since that time with the hot fudge... (never mind).
wave 192 recreates the sound of a phone ringing.
RESBEL is a reedy, resonant bell sound with more digital hum
Now the effect of these hidden waves is subtle, but important.
mingbirds hidden under the mod wheel, vibrato under the pedal
and a fun panning effect supplied by LFO 3. MALVOX (Latin
for bad voice? Thanks, Mom!) is anything but bad. A mallet at-
Sort of like the effect Caesar's mother had on the fall of the
Roman Empire. I don't think she had anything directly to do
15
tack and a breathy sustain is the basis for this sound, but push
MM: A lot of time and thought has obviously gone into the
creation of these sounds. Did you have the sounds in your head
or did you "stumble" upon them? Along these same lines, how
the pedal to the floor and the mallet glides up a fifth. Shove the
mod wheel and the mallet disappears, leaving you with one of
the softest "airy" voices I've ever heard from a synth. Very
did you decide which controllers were to do what? Is it the
reminiscent of the new age music coming out of Ireland these
days. Add to this the panning effects of an LFO (which Sam
has done) and this is a big winner.
result of your performing experience, your own needs, or was it
a fairly arbitrary decision?
SM: A few of the sounds were stumbled on, but most were the
MTLBEL is a bright bell and mallet soimd. This time, the pedal
result of trying to capture a particular type of sound. As far as
the choice of controllers goes, 1 tried to keep the most used ef
raises the pitch of the mallet a fifth, the wheel magnifies the
panning and pressure adds a subtle yet expressive vibrato.
Another pleasing sound, I must be slipping...
fects in the mod wheel since most people have at least that con
troller. I gave the CVpedal the least priority since many SQ-80
owners might not have that controller.
TEMPLE is a very unique combination of bell, organ and
voice, where the wheel takes out all but the bell. To build a lit
MM: How did you find the "hidden waves?"
tle drama into a score, you might start with the wheel full on
and little by little, drop it back to add the other voices. Three
SM; (pause) That was done by crashing the ESQ's operating
system by loading bad tape data and then sending the cor
rupted data to the SQ-80.1 was able to access up to wave 255
but, as I said in the manual, most of the waves were not useful
layers of voices in one patch? This is what the SQ-80 was
meant for!
TOKYO pulls similar tricks. A mallet attack with a pad sus
tained by the breath and triangle waves. LFO 1 modulates pan
as a sound source.
ning to add open space to the sound, pressure adds some
vibrato, the pedal drops the mallet by an octave and the wheel
removes the breathy quality. All the potential for expressive
programming on the SQ-80 realized in a single patch. Practical
ly a substitute for the patch select buttons on the EPS, VEX,
ETC! There is not much more you could ask for.
MM: Thanks for talking with me today.
(The writer always gets the last word., or is it the editor??...) wm
[Actually, it's the publisher. — Pub.]
Well, I still haven't found a dog in the bank. And the fact is, I
couldn't (and believe me, I tried). At this point, between what
I've reviewed, bought, programmed and swapped, I have many
thousands of sounds for the SQ-80 and Sam's are by far the
best I've seen. Ever! It has renewed my belief that the SQ-80 is
BACK ISSUES
capable of remarkable things. I always suspected that someday,
someone would be able to rejuvenate this creature and who bet
Back issues are $2.50 each. (Overseas: $3 each.) Issues 1-9,11,13-23,
ter than Sam Minis, Mr. Tweak himself!
27, 29, 30, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 68 are no longer available. Subscriptions
will be extended an equal number of issues for any issues ordered that
There are plenty more sounds on this disk and they all shine.
are not available at the time we receive your order. ESQ-1 coverage
Every one is musically useful in an array of settings, without
the mindless duplication of "stock" type sounds which clutter
the public domain and the shelves of so many studios. Add to
this the extensive program notes and the low price and it would
started with Issue Number 13. SQ-80 coverage started with Number 29,
be a mystery why anyone who uses the SQ-80 would not just
classifieds for people offering them. Reprints in our "Quick and Dirty
(although most ESQ-1 coverage also applies to the SQ-80). EPS
coverage started with Number 30. (But didn't really get going till Num
ber 35.) VEX coverage got started in Number 48. Permission has been
given to photocopy issues that we no longer have available - check the
Reprint Series" are available: MIRAGE OPERATIONS, for $5, and
go ahead and order it.
MIRAGE SAMPLE REVIEWS for $4. Each contains material from the
first 17 issues.
Now the moment you've been waiting for. I met with Sam and
let him read the review. Granted, there is not much for him to
defend, but there are a few things I want to ask him, so here
goes:
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
MM: Sam, many of the sounds on this disk seem new age in
1 2 M O N T H LY I S S U E S
style. Did you program then that way intentionally, or is this
simply your preference in musical style?
US: $23/year. (All others: $30/year—please use Intemational Money
Order, payable in US tuncfe.) Please make payable and mail to:
SM: A little of both. 1 felt that the SQ-80 had the potential to
emulate the sounds found in the Ml and D-50 synths, but
TFIANSONIQ HACKER
1402 SW UPLAND DR., PORTUND, OR 97221
programmers were not taking advantage of this potential.
16
EPS Internals: Bock to ttie Basics
The EPS 16 Bit Myth
John Lojfink
disk. Now load the file into a binary file editor (there are many
available in the public domain), ignoring the first ten or twenty
lines which probably contain various sample parameters.
Here's a section from one such sample:
There's quite a few myths floating around about the EPS.
Myths like Ensoniq created their original EPS samples on a six
teen bit development system, so those old disks will play back
as sixteen bit samples on an EPS-16 Plus. Or the EPS can play
EPS-16 Plus disks with improved fidelity over EPS sounds.
With this confusion flowing around, it's time to throw my own
two bits in.
Sample resolution is defined by the number of bits containing
the information. A bit has only two values, 0 or 1. Two bits can
02F0:
FE90
2690
1728
FFA8
E7F8
C650
D990
0300:
0628
0328
0950
IDDO
2650
EF40
D950
14F0
0310:
15D0
ECA8
10A8
1728
2FE8
10F8
E280
FA40
F7E8
The first four character segment is the address or location for
store the information 0, 1, 2 or 3. Three bits can store the infor
mation 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. Remember this last sentence, be
the line. The rest of the four character segments are the actual
data, where each character represents a four bit word in what is
called hexadecimal format, and each segment represents a 16
bit sample word. Did you notice how the last digit is always an
8 or a 0? This is because the lowest 3 bits of the sample are al
cause there's gonna be a test later. Every new bit doubles the
storage capacity, so at 13 bits you get 8192 points of informa
tion, and at 16 bits you get 65,536 points, or 8 times as many.
ways zero. There's no 0 through 7, just 0 or 8. Because the last
character has only two values, it represents a resolution of 1 bit.
That, and only that, being the difference between 13 and 16 bit
samples, where did these misconceptions arise about the EPS?
Most of it comes from inaccurate interpretations of Ensoniq's
own specifications, which have a tendency to be vague at
Each segment has an actual resolution of 4 + 4 + 4+1 bits =13
bits.
times.
Looking at it another way, the samples consist only of the
decimal values 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40...65536. This gives the ac
The EPS Musician's Manual specifications give a data storage
format of 16 bits and a sample converter resolution of 13 bits.
From this information you might incorrectly deduce that 16 bit
files can be saved on an EPS if the Analog to Digital converters
are bypassed.
tual number of points as 65536 divided by 8, which is 8192, the
resolution for 13 bit samples.
Well, it's true that the EPS stores samples to disk in a sixteen
bit file format. It's also true that transfers between computer
soniq could have rigged special 16 bit EPS's for their sample
development, a random examination of their original disks
shows that this is not the case. Sixteen bit development system
or not, Ensoniq's own EPS samples are thirteen bits just like
The above sample data is taken from the instrument "Crystal
Bell" from the original Ensoniq disk #ESD-4, one of the first
EPS disks released by Ensoniq. While it was possible that En
and EPS over MIDI or SCSI use a sixteen bit format. That's
why disks and software for the EPS are compatible with the
EPS-16 Plus. So isn't the EPS 13 bit Analog to Digital con
verter for user sampling the limiting component in this instru
ment? Nope! The real culprit is the EPS memory. The EPS
internal RAM storage capacity is 256k words x 13 bits, and the
port for expansion memory is only 13 bits wide as well. It
doesn't matter whether EPS samples are done using the internal
everyone else's.
There's just one way to get 16 bit samples and the fidelity as
sociated with them: develop and play them on a 16 Plus. ■■
References:
Analog to Digital converter, or transferred via MIDI or SCSI, if
the RAM's only 13 bits wide then the lowest three bits will get
truncated before the sample is ever saved to disk.
"Inside the EPS" by Dick Lord, Transoniq Hacker #39, Sep
This works both ways. If you load an EPS-16 Plus disk into the
EPS, the lowest 3 bits of every 16 bit sample word get lost, be
cause there's no RAM locations for those bits to get stored in.
You'll still be playing 13 bit samples, though it's possible the
"Ensoniq EPS-16 Plus Digital Sampling Workstation"
(reviewed by Gary Hall), Electronic Musician, April 1991.
tember 1988.
"EPS-16 Plus" (letter by Mick Seely, Livewire Audio),
Electronic Musician, ivily 1991.
higher fidelity of the EPS-16 Plus input sampling stages might
improve the sound somewhat.
If you own a computer with sample editing software and an
EPS-16 Plus this 13 bit limitation of EPS samples is easy to
verify. Load in an Ensoniq or other computer developed EPS
sample from the 16 Plus over MIDI or SCSI and save the file to
Bio: John Loffink owns and operates First Generation, a
source for computer synthesized EPS & EPS-16 Plus samples,
He has just finished converting 60+ samples from 13 to 16 bits,
and needs a vacation.
17
Ensoniq VFX-SD and SD-1
Sequencer File Formats
Part II
Gary Giebler
This month we continue and conclude my description of
VFX-sd and SD-1 sequencer file formats which was started in
problem unless you are using extremely large MIDI drum sets
or controlling external devices such as lighting controllers,
Issue #77.
MIDI mixers, etc.
VFX-SD and SD -1 Tra ck D a ta Fo rma t
M S B
A track consists of a long word (4 bytes) containing the size or
length of the track followed by a stream of sequencer events.
of
...
d6
d5
d4
d3
d2
dl
dO
t7
t6
t5
t4
t3
t2
tl
to
Word
2:
0
v4
v3
v2
vl
vO
n9
n8
n7
n6
n5
n4
n3
n2
nl
nO
velocity and a note duration. The note duration is stored in the
lower 10 bits (n9...n0) and can range from 0 to 1023 clock
ticks. If the duration of the note is longer than 1023 clock ticks,
Track
80
E9
the 10 bits are set to zero and another word is added to the
event. The third word ( cE...cO) can contain note durations up
VFX-SD and SD-1 Sequencer Events
to 32767 clock ticks (remember the MSB is cleared and can't
be used). The velocity is stored in the 5 remaining bits of the
second word. This brings up another limitation of the VFX-SD
All of the sequencer events for the VFX-SD and the SD-1 con
tain an even number of bytes. This was probably done because
and SD-1 sequencer formats. MIDI note velocities can range
both keyboards contain 16-bit microprocessors which read and
write data more efficiently 16 bits (2 bytes) at a time. When
from 0 to 127 giving 128 possible velocities. The VFX-SD and
SD-1 sequencers can only store 32 different velocities. To
allow for the full MIDI range, Ensoniq converts the 32 values
into every fourth MIDI value (0,4,8,12...). If you edit the
referring to 16 bits of data, we (in the computer world) refer to
the data as one word. All sequencer events have the most sig
nificant bit (MSB) of the first word set to indicate the start of
an event. All subsequent words have the MSB cleared. This al
lows the microprocessor (or us) to skip unknown events or to
move backwards in the track data — something which would
be nearly impossible without marking the first word of an
velocity of a note in a sequence, it will be changed to the
nearest value allowed.
Poly Key Pressure Events 88 -175 (58 - AF hex)
event. Most sequencer events consist of two words (four bytes)
The next 88 event types (88 - 175) (58h - AFh) refer to the
of data. One exception is the End of Track Event which con
tains one word (two bytes).
poly key pressure (aftertouch) for the same 88 keys (AO - C8)
on a piano. To obtain the key number, subtract 88 from the
event type. This event type stores the entire midi pressure range
FIRST EVENT WORD
in the lower 7 bits (p6...p0) of the second word. The remainder
MSB
B i t : 1 5 1 4 1 3 1 2 11 1 0 0 9 0 8
Va l u e : 1 d 6 d 5 d 4 d 3 d 2 d l d O
1
The second word of each key event contains a key-down
1). The last track event must be the End of Track event.
Track
Events
End
80
E6
00
01
...
1:
( Word 3: 0 cE cD cC cB cA c9 c8 c7 c6 c5 c4 c3 c2 cl cO )
Each Track should start with a clock event to initialize the track
coimter which starts at 01.01.00 (one tick before the start of bar
Track
Length
00
00
00
00
L S B
Word
of the second word is not used and is set to zeros.
L S B
07
06
05
04
03
02
01
00
t7
t6
t5
t4
t3
t2
tl
to
MSB
The least significant byte (lower 8 bits t7..t0) of the first word
of each event contains the event type, giving us a total of 256
LSB
Word 1: 1 d6 d5 d4 d3 d2 dl dO
t7
Word
XX p6 p5 p4 p3 p2 pi pO
2:
0
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
t6
t5
t4
t3
t2
tl
to
Controller Events 176 - 199 (BO - C7 hex)
possible event types. The remainder of the first word (seven
bits d6...d0 — remember the MSB is always set) contains the
number of clock ticks to delay before executing the next event.
Since the maximum delay is only 127 clock ticks, an event type
(E6 hex) was created to allow longer delays.
The next event types (176 - 199) (BOh - C7h) refer to the con
troller events for midi controllers. Not all of the controller
event types are defined at this time. The controller events store
the MIDI controller value in the lower 7 bits (v6...v0) of the
second word. The remainder of the second word is not used and
KEY EVENTS 00 - 87 (00 - 57 hex)
is set to zeros.
The first 88 event types (00 - 87) (OOh - 57h) refer to the 88
M S B
keys (AO - C8) on a piano. Notice that by restricting the se
quencer to 88 key events, the keyboards can't record the full
MIDI note range. Realistically, this probably won't be a
18
L S B
Word
1:
1
d6
d5
d4
d3
d2
dl
dO
t7
t6
t5
t4
t3
t2
tl
to
Word
2:
0
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
XX
v6
v5
v4
v3
v2
vl
vO
E v e n t;
Ty p e
C o n t r o l l e r
Controller
v 6 . . . v C
176
(BOh)
Pitch
Wheel
177
(Blh)
(B2h)
Modulation
Va l u e
Song Step Event 231 (E7 hex)
pitch bend
=
Song Step Events can only be found in the song track of a song.
This Event can't store clock information (d6...d0) so the first
event word is always 80E7 (hex). The only real difference be
tween a sequence and a song is that a song has a song track
which contains song steps. Therefore, a song can also contain
twelve tracks of regular events in addition to the song track.
a m o u n t
178
Patch
Wheel
v 6 . . . v O
Select
v6
set
=
a m o u n t
if
Left,
v5
set
if
Right
179
180
181
182
External
(B3h)
(B4h)
(B5h)
(B6h)
Foot
Controller
Pedal
Volume
Sustain
Pedal
v 6 . . . v O
=
a m o u n t
v 6 . . . v O
=
a m o u n t
v 6 . . . v O
=
a m o u n t
v 6 . . . v O
=
{127 = on, 00 =
This is how the VFX-SD and the SD-1 become 24 track se
o ff )
183
(B7h)
Sost
Pedal
>
os
>
o
quencers. The song track in a song points to additional sequen
ces which can contain 12 tracks in addition to the song's 12
tracks. The second event word (sE...sO) in a song step contains
the sequence number of the next sequence to be played. The
(127 = on, 00 =
=
o ff )
184
(B8h)
(B9h)
Timbre
v 6 . . . v O
185
R e l e a s e
v6
186
(BAh)
Channel
187
(BBh)
(BCh)
Mix
188
Pressure
v 6 . . . v C
Event
Mute
vO
=
a m o u n t
=
a m o u n t
=
a m o u n t
third event word sets a bit (mB...mO) to mute each of the twelve
1 1 1
Event
sequence tracks. The fourth event word sets a bit (tB...tO) for
each of the sequence tracks if the track is to be transposed. The
? ? ?
The Program (Patch) Change Event stores the program change
last event word contains a signed transpose count in the upper
bits (c6...c0). The lower bits (16...10) contain the loop count
which is the number of times the sequence should be repeated.
For more information on song steps, please refer to your
number (0 - 127) in the lower 7 bits (v6...v0) of the second
owner's manual.
Program Change Event 217 (D9 hex)
word. The remainder of the second word is not used and is set
to
M S B
zeros.
L S B
Word
MSB
LSB
Word
1:
1
d6
d5
d4
d3
Word
2:
0
xx
xx
xx
xx
d2
xx
dl
xx
dO
1
xx
10
xx v6
11 0
v5
v4
0
v3
v2
1
vl
vO
1:
10000000
sD
sB
m9
m8
0
1
1
1
s7
s5
s5
s4
s3
s2
si
sO
sE
Word
3:
0
xx
Word
4:
0
xx
xx
xx
tB
tA
t9
t8
t7
t6
t5
t4
t3
t2
tl
to
Word
5:
0
c6
c5
c4
c3
o2
cl
cO
XX
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
mA
s8
0
0
mB
s9
1
2:
xx
sA
1
Word
xx
sC
1
m? ra6 m5 m4 m3 Iii2 ml mO
Mixdown Volume Event 218 (DA hex)
Overdub Event 232 (E8 hex)
The Mixdown Volume Event stores the volume value (0 - 127)
in the lower 7 bits (v6...v0) of the second word. The remainder
The Overdub Event is used internally in the keyboard during
overdub operations and shouldn't appear in the disk files. This
event can't store clock information (d6...d0) and only consists
of the second word is not used and is set to zeros.
MSB
Word
Word
1:
2:
0
LSB
1
d6
xx
xx
d5
xx
d4
xx
xx
d3
xx
d2
xx
dl
xx
dO
v6
v5
11 0
v4
11 0
v3
v2
of one event word (80E8 hex).
10
vl
vO
MSB
Word
1:
L S B
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
111 0
1
0
0
0
Mixdown Pan Event 219 (DB hex)
End Of Track Event 233 (E9 hex)
The Mixdown Pan Event stores the pan value (0 - 127) in the
lower 7 bits (v6...v0) of the second word. The remainder of the
The End of Track Event must be the last event stored in each
second word is not used and is set to zeros.
track. This Event can't store clock information (d6...d0) and
MSB
only consists of one event word (80E9 hex).
LSB
Word
1:
1
d6
d5
d4
d3
d2
dl
dO
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
Word
2:
0
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
XX
v6
v5
v4
v3
v2
vl
vO
LSB
M S B
Word
1:
10000000
11 0
1
0
0
1
Next time, I'll cover the sequencer format for the EPS-16 Plus
Wait (Clock) Event 230 (E6 hex)
and include some suggested features for the sequencers which
would make life easier for all of us. The sequencer format for
The Wait Event type was created to allow longer delays be
tween events. The delay can have a maximum value of 32,767
the original EPS will be covered after the EPS-16 Plus, m
(7FFF hex) clock ticks and is stored in the lower 15 bits of the
second event word (cE...cO). Typically, d6...d0 are cleared in
the first event word since a much longer delay can be achieved
Bio: Gary Giebler is the Manager of Computer Engineering for
in the second event word.
Eagle Comtronics — a cable TV manufacturer. Gary owns and
runs Giebler Enterprises where he produces computer soft
L S B
MSB
Word
1:
1
d6
d5
d4
d3
d2
dl
dO
Word
2:
0
cE
cD
cC
cB
cA
c9
c8
111 0
c7
c6
0
c5
c4
c3
ware, records, tapes, and compact disks. Gary still has over
11 0
c2
cl
800 copies of his first album in his bedroom closet.
cO
19
Review: Nightwind Mirage
Samples
Barry Carson
Product: Samples.
For: Mirage.
Price: $6 or $8 per disk, depending.
From: Nightwind Sound, 170 Mar Monte Ave, La Selva, CA 95076.
By golly time goes fast, eh? It seems that only a short time ago I
was a mere lad eager to enter the realm of digital sampling. My
perfect. It's almost impossible to hear this without playing the
bass line to "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" or singing the theme
from "Shaft." In this day of drum machines and sequencers, one
could argue if this kind of sampled pattern is necessary, but if you
didn't have the above mentioned equipment, this would be an easy
way to get a great sounding rhythm section cooking for you.
million dollars or the 360 Systems for about half a million (the
tradeoff was that the 360 had no user sampling and no looping of
samples). Then, as we all know, Ensoniq showed up with the per
fect instrument at the perfect time for the perfect price. The
Mirage became truly famous and tons of them were sold. Alas,
The only full keyboard sound that I got to hear is the Synclavier
Spectacular. It is a rich, full digital synthesizer sound with an in
teresting envelope. Since this envelope was sampled with the
sound, it becomes shorter and shorter as it is transposed up the
keyboard; this means the sound seems to ring forever in the low
range and is cut off short near the top. Interestingly, even though
it is a long, sustained sort of sound, there is no loop. The whole
like many technological wonders, the Mirage is mostly forgotten
thing was evidently sampled. Make no mistake, the soimd is good
except by a handful a faithful followers. Luckily for us, Jim New
as it is, but an eager hacker may want to loop the soimd and create
his or her own envelopes.
has also come out with a set of EPS samples for those of us who
are faithful followers of the newer samplers.
The final sounds for the Mirage that I received to review are two
brass sotmds. Brass Stabs and Stinger. These are both good horn
Nightwind sells sounds by the bank (3 per disk). The sotmds are
mostly of ethnic instruments and synthesizers. I got to listen to the
reverb sound sampled along with the brass. Stinger is very
Cachoe (seashell), Bentau 1 and 2 (musical bows), Raspli, Viri,
records; if "Knock on Wood" is part of your song list and you
choices of instruments seemed limited to the Emulator for about a
ton of Nightwind Sound remains among the faithful. That's right,
Nightwind has produced new samples for the Mirage. Nightwind
sections with percussive attacks. The stabs are short hits with a
Tympanon, Voruba Talking Drums, Tambu Grande, Triano, Bas-
tel, Chape and Gubagubi along with some rhythm loops, brass and
synthesizers with other assorted oddities. All this on two Mirage
disks! You get a lot of bang for the byte here and, at $6 or $8 a
disk, a lot of bang for the hard earned buck.
The Cachoe is a haunting sovmd with an intriguing loop and the
Bentau samples are a couple of nice plucked sounds with the
loops creating pleasant rhythmic patterns. The Raspli, Viri,
Tambu Grande & Triano, Bastel, Chape, and Tympanon are all
reminiscent of the brass sections on the old Sam and Dave
have a Mirage, this sample is for you.
If you haven't got the drift yet, I'm pretty excited about this col
lection of samples. The very fact that someone out there is active
ly supporting the Mirage with new sounds is, in itself, good news.
The fact that these sounds are good is great news. The question of
exactly where these samples come from is never addressed. I am
assuming that Mr. Newton has access to these unusual instruments
as I've never seen a sampling CD with Gubagubi or Raspli on it.
very interesting, well sampled percussion sounds. Included with
The Mirage has the tendency to make samples of acoustic instru
ments sound artificial or synthetic, yet the Nightwind samples
the latter are assorted "Percussion Accents" that are some un
retain a definitely acoustic sound. If you only use your Mirage to
usual, short percussion sotmds. There are two interesting patterns
on my favorite of these, the Voruba Talking Drums, and by using
different loop points (oddly, the soimd has no loop programed in
it) any number of intriguing, pulsing rhythms can be created. The
last of the ethnic instruments are perhaps the hardest to describe.
The Gubagubi sotmds sort of like a jaw harp, the Crychord Bass
sotmds like a plucked string (with no loop), the Harmonic Can IE
sounds sort of like a bunch of ttmed rubber bands stretched over
something and strummed. The sample of a simple strtim is okay,
play electric organ parts in the oldies band at the comer bar on
Friday night, you may have no use for most of these sounds or the
other oddities offered by Nightwind such as the Huruk, Mijweh,
Chake or Ang Klung. On the other hand, if you are into New Age
or ethnic or sotmdtrack work, or you just love new sotmds for the
Mirage, you may well benefit from investigating these samples or
Nightwind's demo tape yourself. Now that we live in the days of
affordable, high fidelity 16 bit sampling, it's worth pointing out
that anything sampled on a Mirage is, at best, still going to sound
but the second sample is of an arpeggiated figtire that, with a user
selected loop length, can create fascinating patterns of notes and
like a Mirage. Mr. Newton seems to have done a great job sam
pling, but to expect these sounds to be free of the usual Mirage
rhythms.
noise, grunge and aliasing would be to court disappointment.
Along with these unusual sotmds, Nightwind included a couple of
rhythm patterns. "Industrial Action" is a brass and tympani affair
that pretty much fits the title, the tympani sotmding real or at least
Speaking of high fidelity sampling, next time we will take a look
at Jim Newton's Nightwind Sound Samples for the EPS. m
sampled, the brass sounding like a synthesizer. The second
Bio: Barry Carson is getting a little sick of thinking up these
rhythm is '"70s Funk" and it's a drttm, wah-guitar thing that's
clever little things all the time. [Ed. — Well, excuuuuse mei]
C l a s s i fi e d s
SAMPLES
HOT NEW SAX SAMPLES FOR EPS/16+!!! Solo
EPS-2x Expander. $50 or best offer. Call Mike at
(206) 473-3156. 5409 57th St., Ct. W. Apt. 9, Tacoma,
WA 98467.
soprano, alto, tenor, bari and sax sections in true
stereo! Buy individually or as a complete 7 disk set
($69 + $4 s/h). Sax demo tape: $4. Complete library
demo tape; $12. Contact K. Thomas, PO Box 174,
Stratford, ON, Canada N5A 6T1 or phone (519)
271-7964.
XMAS Special - Free EPS/EPS-16+ Sampling Video,
10 Disc, or 2000 digital samples with Expander orders.
EPS, EPS-16 PLUS, TX16W, ARAL Best prices.
Guaranteed. MC/Visa. VEX, SQl RAM cartridges and
memory expansion. FREE SHIPPING. Wildwood
Sounds, 4726 Pebble Creek, Pensacola, FL 32526.
Creative Analog for EPS, Avant Garde/New Music
sounds using ARP 2600 and others, see review April
Phone: (904) 944-6012, Tony, after 6 pm.
■91 TH. 10 disk set $89.95, demo disk $10. Also avail
able for Macintosh and MS-DOS, $79.95/set.
1-800-622-2328 (ordering) or 1-505-986-0578 (info).
WA N T E D
Wanted: VFX-sd and SQ-80 patches for trade. (708)
3D SOUNDS. 1200 Sound Drum Sample CD $40!EPS/16Plus, TX16W, Mirage, SlO/220/ MKS-100,
S-50/330/550/770/W-30, FZ-1/10 & S-900. Only $5
per disk. Demo Disk $3. VFX-SD: 40 hot new patches
- $6! Plus patches for most synths. P.O. Box 114, Sta
tion C, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, N2G 3W9.
100 free VFX-SD / SDl Drum Patterns with 120 Ex
citing VFX-SD/SDl sounds. Satisfaction Guaranteed.
$25. 100 DRUM PATTERNS. EPS, EPS-16+, SR16,
HR16 or VFX-sd/SD-1: $12. 2000 DiglUl Samples on
2 XLIl cassetts. Tl, DPM3, Proteus, D50, More,
DBX/Dolby B/C: $25. Wildwood Sounds, 4726 Pebble
Creek Terr., Pensacola, FL 32526. Phone: (904)
944-6012, Tony, after 6 pm.
427-1615.
EPS-16 Plus Samples. Quality, Creative, Original
sounds. Limited time only. 3-disk set: $20. To order,
write: "Quality Samples," PO Box 5062, Niles, OH
44446, or call: 216-544-3458. Check or money orders
please. C.O.D. orders welcome but please add $3.00.
ECCENTRIC SAMPLES for Mirage and EPS. Ethnic
and Ancient Greek instruments; Harry Patch creations;
Industrial Percussion; Proteus 2; DX21; Synclavier and
more. Mirage demo cassette: $3. EPS demo cassette:
$6. Demo tapes include disk list. For lists alone, send
SASE to: Jim Newton, NIGHTWIND Sound, 170 Mar
Monte Ave., La Selva, CA 95076. (No layered synths.
Electric Piano or Basses. Enough, already!!)
Trade sounds by mail. I have over 1,000,000 blk
library! Many killer Homemade and PD samples. Send
your list. Craig, PO Box 83164, LA, CA 90083. (213)
V F X PAT C H E S . ( I h a v e 1 0 5 H I - F I s o u n d s , w i d e
60 VFX-SD patches created by Jim Grote. Wide
variety. Documentation included. See my article "Saw
tooth Tips" in Dec '90. Call for free Information Pack
variety). No tweaks / copyrighted sounds please! Send
et, or send: $30.00 for VFX-SD disk to Jim Grote,
Wanted: VFX programmers to trade their ORIGINAL
VFX-SD-1 or Alesis DataDisk format to: Brad Kauf
3721 Frances Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45211. (513)
man, 11-26 Saddle River Road, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410.
661-8885.
SOFTWARE
INSTRUCTION
Read and Write Ensoniq Diskettes on IBM-PC's. Order
our Ensoniq Diskette Manager (EDM) software for
only $22. Transfer Sequences to/from Standard Midi
Files (SMF). Each package (VFX-SD/SD-1 or
All New EPS/EPS-16+ Sampling Made Easy Video.
Vol #2. Advanced programming and sampling. CAU
TION! Not for beginners. EASY #1 2 hr video, 2 disks
EPS/EPS-16+) includes EDM and costs $44. Convert
SQ-80 sequences and songs to VFX-SD or SMF using
3 disks. $35 each or $60 for both. Wildwood Sounds,
4726 Pebble Creek Terr., Pensacola, FL 32526. Phone:
our SQ80VFX software ($44). Giebler Enterprises,
8038 Morgan Road, Liverpool, New York 13090 (315)
904-944-6012, Tony, after 6 pm.
652-5741.
V F X - s d TA L K I N G O W N E R ' S M A N U A L ( t m ) P L U S
645-4181.
SOUND EFFECTS for EPS-16 Plus and EPS, very
high fidelity, ideal for studio and post-production
work. All effects are original digital recordings
sampled at 16 bit, 44.6 kHz, with mono and stereo
patch selects. Disks are $5.95 each, or $5.45 each for
six or more. Send SASE for free listing to: Syntaur
Productions, 11116 Aqua Vista #2, North Hollywood,
Midicaster is still available. The way-cool operating
system that turns your Mirage into a very capable Sys
tem Exclusive data librarian, a 20,000-note sequence
player, a disk copier/formatter, and wave-draw syn
thesizer is still available for a limited time. For more
information, or to order, contact Tim Martin, 1510 S
5th W, Missoula, MT 59801. Phone: 406-542-0280
& 9 0 m i n S o u n d C a s s e t t e . A D VA N C E D # 2 V i d e o a n d
disk produced for Ensoniq. The manual "you don't
need to read" to understand your VFX-sd intimately.
113 minute comprehensive cassette explains applica
tions and capabilities while your hands operate its con
trols. Send $15.00 check/money order; includes
P/H/Tx to: Talking Owner's Manuals-VFX 21405
Brookhurst, Huntington Beach, CA 92646.
And thank you for your support.
SERVICES
CA 91602, or call (818) 769-4395.
PATCHES/SOUNDS
Mirage samples: Plus moving wavesamples all over. 7
sounds in one bank, much more. Listings: $1.00. Demo
tape: $6.00 (includes listings). Mr. Wavesample, 162
Maple Place, Keyport, NJ 07735. 908-264-3512. Make
checks payable to Jack C. Loesch.
EQUIPMENT
Trade Amiga 500 with video software and extras for
EPS. Call 702438-7816 after 12 noon PST.
For sale: Boss CL-50 compressor/limiter/gate. Pro
specs, half rack size. Great condition. $135. (708)
80 Homemade mind blowing and Avant Garde patches
for the SQ-80 on disk. Send $20 to Arnold Mathes,
2750 Homecrest Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11235. Phone:
Typesetting. Laser or Lino output. Flyers, ads, cards,
manuals (will also do technical edit/writing), etc.
(Sorry - no scoring.) Transoniq, 503-227-6848.
BACK ISSUES
(718) 646-3214.
Facelift for your ESQ-1. Exclusive totally new double
part soundset (40 + 40): synth, classic, jazz, folk, pop,
ethnical, experimental, ensemble, organ, brass, percus
sion, effects, multizones, microtonal scales, rhythmbox-patches! Hidden waveforms... Available Mirage or
Atari disk or data cassette. Only $24 by international
money order to P. Timmermans, Steyenhoflaan 33,
64, yes 64! Transoniq Hacker back issues. Originals,
not copies. Only $100 obo! Steve, 916-369-6444.
OUT-OF-PRINT BACK ISSUES
M.U.G. will provide Out-of-Print issues for cost of
materials and postage. M.U.G. Hotline: 212-465- 3430
or write: G-4 Productions, PO Box 615TH, Yonkers,
NY 10703. Attn: TH Back Issues. Phone: (212)
427-1615.
B-3130 Betekom, Belgium. Includes ultimate ESQ-1
patch manual (25 pp).
RAM cartridge for VFX-sd, $75. SW-5 footpedal, $25.
ESQ-1 sound library for sale. Original data cassettes
Photocopies of out-of-print past issues of the Hacker
can be obtained by calling Jack Loesch, 201- 264-3512
Patchworks, Cesium, Technosis, Music Bank, Leister,
Sound Hound, Still Voice, and others. Over 2000 great
after 6 pm EST.
patches in all. First $150 takes it. 401-431-2963.
Folks in the New York City area can get copies of un
NEW SQ-80 SOUNDS from the Hacker's Sam Mims!
212-995-0989.
Ta s c a m M o d e l 3 8 8 - t r a c k r e e e l - t o - r e e l t r a d e f o r
EPS-4X. Tascam Model 32 trade for SQ-80 or 7
Michael 618-876-2922.
Mirage DSK, Alesis MMT-8, JL Cooper PPS-1. Best
offer. (410) 228-5081, 6 -10 pm, EST. Roger.
a n d c a r t r i d g e s i n c l u d i n g ; Vo i c e C r y s t a l , H e a v e n ,
ESQ-1 with 20,000 note sequencer, 160 RAM cart,
2,400 patches plus MDFl wiUt 20 disks and Harmony
Systems MIDI sync/merger, $850 or will seperate.
HR-16 $250. Moog Opus-3 $250. All original car
Soundset 4 takes full advantage of the SQ-80's tmique
waveforms, and brings "hidden waveforms" to the
SQ-80 for the first time. Forty patches on disk, with
22-page booklet of programming notes and perfor
mance tips, $17.95. Syntaur Productions, 11116 Aqua
tons/manuals. 401-431-2963.
Vista #2, North Hollywood, CA 91602, (818)
769-4395.
Ensoniq EPS-16-1- keyboard. 2 Meg memory w/SCSI,
output expander, 1-Meg Flashbank & CV pedal. $3500
new - $2500 firm. 44 Meg removable drive - $450.
Tascam 38 8-track, low hours: $1450. Atari Stacy lap
top w/20 Meg drive, flightcase, MIDI software: $1600.
Yamaha RX5 drum machine: $400. Yamaha MEP-4:
$250. (908) 222-1227.
Soundsource Patchwell - a collection of 40 of the best
sounds created for the ESQ-1. These patches were
created on this synthesizer over 4 years of recording
and playing live. They are patches you can use. For
data cassette send $10 to Travis Parker, Soimdsource
Patchwell, 17322 Stafford Circle, Yorba Linda, CA
92686 or call (714) 524-0597.
21 •
465-3430.
available back issues of the Hacker - call Jordan Scott,
FREE CLASSIFIEDSI
Well,—within limits. We're offering free classified ad
vertising (up to 40 words) to all subscribers for your
sampled sounds or patches. Additional words, or ads
for other products or services, are 25 cents per word
per issue (BOLD type: 45 cents per word). Unless
renewed, freebie ads are removed after 2 issues. While
you're welcome to resell copyrighted sounds and
programs that you no longer have any use for, ads for
copies of copyrighted materiai will not be accepted.
ESQ
&
SQ-80
Hackerpatoh
By Sam Mims
Hackerpatch is intended to be a place where patch vendors can show thenwares and musicians can share their goodies and impress their friends.
Patches designated "ESQ-1" wiU also work on the SQ-80. The reverse is not
always true. Once something's published here, it's free for aU. Please don't
submit patches that you know to be minor tweaks on copyrighted commer
cial patches unless you have permission from the copyright owner. AU sub
mitted patches are subject to consideration for mutilation and comments by
Sam Mims-our resident patch analyst. If you send in a patch, please include
your phone number. Requests for particular patches are also very welcome.
SQ-80 Patch: HYMN
by Craig Roth, Skokie, IL
With the mod wheel turned away from you, this provides a simple
chorus sound. As the wheel is turned toward you, a pipe organ kicks
The Hack
The SQ-80's "R" feature on the T4 envelope parameters adds a
great reverb simulation to patches, and it makes quite a difference
on this one. Other than that, ESQ users can type this one straight in.
E S Q P a t c h : PA B I M S
by Steve Munro, Guilderland Center, NY
I'd suggest a T4 value of 34 for ENV 4, to simulate the ambience of
Craig's patch. The VOICE 3 wave works nicely in OSC 1 and 2 if
you want a more breathy new-age sotmd. Alternatively, try replac
ing the ORGAN of OSC 3 with BREATH 3, and changing its OCT
to -1; this creates a nice fat vocal sotmd. For even more breath, set
the filter resonance to 31, and the cutoff FREQuency to 90. To turn
I wanted a keyboard sound using the "round sound" of square
waves, but mellow, especially in the low end. So, oscillators 1 and 3
use the SQUARE! waveform, and are beefed up by OSC 2 using the
SINE wave, with SEMI=07. LEO 2 handles the panning, and the
mod wheel adds vibrato via LEO 3. ENV1 gives the filter velocity
Craig's original choir into a chorus of un
control and release time.
derwater mermaids, simply turn the AM
parameter on.
The Hack
Turning on the AM on the MODES page gives PABIMS less of a
round sound, and turning SYNC on gives yet another nice variation.
I also liked changing the filter parameters for another variation; try
FREQ=100, RES=31. To smooth out the sotmd into more of a pad,
Bio: Sam Mims is a studio session player
and programmer in Los Angeles, and is
try changing T1 on the ENV 4 page to 22, and T4 to 32.1 also had
fun changing the waveforms of oscillators 1 and 3; this works best
keyboardist for Richard Elliot. He owns
on an SQ-80, with SAW 2, VOICE3, and BREATH waves.
ESQ-1
PROG:
PA B I M S
BY:
Stave
Syntaur Productions, a company that
produces music for film and TV and
markets sounds for Ensoniq keyboards.
Munro
SQ-80
OCT SEMI FINE WAVE M0D#1 DEPTH M0D#2 DEPTH
0 S C 1
-1
0
0
SQR2
• O F F *
LF03
+3
OSC 2
0
7
0
S I N E
•OFF*
LF03
+3
OSC 3
-1
0
DCA1
2
SQR2
LEVEL
OUTPUT
6 3
O N
DCA2
63
O N
DCA3
6 3
O N
LF03
M0D#1
• OFF*
-1
DEPTH
• O F F *
•
• OFF*
•
OFF*
• OFF*
OFF*
[
^5
0
.0
'OFF'
-
ENVl
4-63
I
63
7
LF02
4-63
FINE
WAV E M 0 D # 1 D E P T H M 0 D # 2 D E P T H
0
5
VOICEl
OSC 2
0
0
VOICEl
*OFF*
• OFF*
OSC 3
-2
0
1
ORGAN
*OFF*
*OFF*
M0D#1 DEPTH
M0D#2
ON
ENVl
+46
KYBD2
+
DCA2
21
ON
ENVl
+31
KYBD2
+ 16
DCA3
63
ON
WHEEL
-25
• O F F *
D E U Y
L2 MOD
63
63
63
• O F F *
LF0 3
Lf0
22
OFF
OFF
T R I
0
0
0
WHEEL
LP0 3
LV
6 3
T1V
6 3
T1
T2
T3
0
0
0
T 4
T K
2 4
63
ENV 3
ENV 4
+ 63
+ 63
+ 63
1 5
63
0
63
1 7
2 4
OFF
SYNC AM MONO GLIDE VC ENV OSC CYC
NOISE
1
53
LV
+ 48
OL
52
ENV 2
_
_
_
ENV 3 ,
-
_
_
ENV 4 I
6 3
+27
L3
L1
-
KYBD2
8
*OFF*
2
ENV1
ENV 2
1
PA N M O D D E P T H
PA N
ON
0
+ 63
DEPTH
•OFF*
H U M A N WAV L 1
63
L3
• OFF*
FREQ RESET
T R I
+ 63
9
20
O F F
L2
KEYED M0D#1 DEPTH M0D#2
U=01
OFF
LI
Q
0
16
1 63
8
+ 63
79
DEPTH
DCA4
LF0 2
ENV1
•OFF*
LEVEL OUTPUT
FINAL VOL
-
+1
24
F R E Q R E S E T H U M A N W AV L i D E L AY L 2 M O D
LF01
LFOl
DCA1
FILIhH 1
I
Roth
-1
F I N A L V O L PA N PA N M O D D E P T H
DCA4
Craig
-1
FREQ
|
BY:
OCT SEMI
FREQ Q KEVBD M0D#1 DEPTH M0D#2 DEPTH
F I LT E R
HYMN
O S C I
M0D#2 DEPTH
*OFF*
PROG:
L2
+52
+63
+63
+58
+
58
T1V
OL
0
T1
T2
T3
T4
TK
32
44
43
63
0
32
32
19R
0
0
MODES [| OFF OFF OFF 0 OFF ON OFF OFF
SYNC AM MONO GUDE VC ENV OSC CYC
MODES| OFF OFF OFF 0 OFF oir OFF OFF
SPLIT/LAYER S/L PRG UYER LPRG SPLIT S PRG SPLIT KEY
SPUT/LAYER S/L PRG UYER LPRG SPLIT S PRG SPUT KEY
I
OTT
-
OFF
-
OFF
i
-
OFF
2 2
-
OET
-
OFT
-
I
SD
&
VFX
Hackerpatoh
SD & VFX Prog: THX BRASS
By: Sam MIms, Syntaur Productions
NOTES: THX BRASS is the sound that you hear in the movie theatres just before the
feature presentation, to let you know that the theatre is equipped with the THX sound sys
tem. It's an analog brass patch, actually, where four oscillators slide into pitch from dif
(voices I, 2, 3, and 5) to 99. Reinstallation: On the Output page (same
ferent directions. To get the effect, play an open fifths chord voiced (from the bottom
selects do nothing). Other than that, you're stuck making THX sounds
with this one. Remember: The audience is listening.
note of the keyboard up): C, C, C, G, C. The patch is great for doing effects and things;
we use it in our band's stage intro.
voices), set MODSRC=WHEEL, and MODAMT=+99. Note that the 0*
patch select gives you a normal analog brass sound (the other patch
— Sam Mims
THE HACK: This sound swells in slowly, and it would be simple to remove this swell
effect, then reinstall it with mod wheel control. Removal; Set the Initial level of ENV 3
WAVES
1
Wave
Sawtooth Sawtooth Sawtooth Sawtooth Sawtooth Sawtooth
Wave Class
Waveform Waveform Waveform Waveform Waveform Waveform
Delay
0
0
0
0
0
0 0
D■
1
S
4
S
6
0*
1
2
3
«
5
®
•0
1
H
s
4
6
g
4
8
8
4
*
*
;nvi
MOD MIXER
SRC-1
SRC-2
L F O
Noise
SRC-2 Scale
0.1
Shape
QuIkRIse
6
0
Start
'ITCH
SELECT VOICE
1
2
3
5
6
Initial
9 9
9 9
9 9
9 9
0
Peak
0
0
0
0
9 9
Break 1
0
0
0
0
0
Break 2
0
0
0
0
0
Sustain
0
0
0
0
0
Attack
7 6
7 6
0
Decay 1
Decay 2
Decay 3
5 0
7 6
5 0
7 6
5 0
5 0
2
5 0
5 0
5 0
5 0
0
5 0
5 0
5 0
0
Release
5 0
5 0
5 0
5 0
5 0
r
KBD Track
0
0
0
0
0
Vel Curve
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
1
2
3
4
5
6
Octave
-1
-1
-1
0
-1
Mode
Semitone
0
-1
0
0
0
0
0
Repeat Repeat Repeat
0
0
0
0
Fine
Ve l - L e v e l
0
0
+10
-10
+4
+10
- 4
Ve l - A t t a c k
0
0
0
0
0
P i t c h Ta b l e
System
System
System
System
System
System
ITCH MODS
2
5
6
5
4
4
3
3
6
2
1
1
0
• O f f
Noise
0
IVIIxer
0
• O f f
0
• O f f
0
•Off
Initial
Peak
0
MODSRC
fVIODAlVir
4 6
4 6
4 6
9 0
0
0
+10
0
+ 4
46
9 9
0
Break 1
78
7 8
7 8
7 8
None
None
None
None
None
78
None
78
Glide
Break 2
9 9
9 9
51
9 9
-99
+99
0
-99
-10
51
+99
9 9
ENV1
LF01
Sustain
9 9
9 9
9 9
50
99
5 0
0
0
0
+5
0
+ 5
Attack
0
0
0
0
0
0
Decay 1
Decay 2
Decay 3
4 6
4 6
4 6
1 5
4 6
4 9
7 3
7 3
7 3
4 3
73
4 3
9 3
9 3
9 3
81
9 3
81
Release
37'
37*
37*
37*
37*
37*
KBD Track
0
0
0
0
0
0
Ve l C u r v e
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
Oc
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
Mode
NormI
NormI
0
NormI
0
NormI
0
NormI
Ve l - L e v e l
NormI
0
0
0
Ve l - A t t a c k
20
2 0
2 0
20
20
20
I LT E R 1
z >
1
2
3
4
5
6
fvlode
2 L P
2LP
2LP
2LP
2 L P
2LP
Cutoff
0
0
0
0
0
0
K B D
+50
+50
+50
+50
+50
+50
IVlODSCR
Pr+VI
Pr+VI
Pr+VI
Pr+VI
Pr+VI
Pr+VI
IVIODAIVIT
+50
+50
+50
+50
+50
+50
ENV2
+75
+75
+75
+75
+75
+75
I LT E R 2
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
fvlode
2 L P
2LP
2LP
2LP
2LP
2LP
Initial
9 9
9 9
9 9
9 9
9 9
99
Cutoff
0
0
0
0
0
0
Peak
99
99
9 9
99
9 9
9 9
K B D
0
0
0
0
0
0
Break 1
99
9 9
80
TImbr
TImbr
TImbr
TImbr
TImbr
TImbr
Break 2
9 9
9 9
80
80
9 9
MODSCR
99
99
9 9
8 0
MODAfVIT
+30
+30
+30
+30
+30
+30
Sustain
99
9 9
9 9
80
9 9
8 0
ENV2
+80
+80
+80
+80
+80
+80
Attack
65
65
6 5
0
6 5
0
Decay 1
Decay 2
Decay 3
9 9
9 9
9 9
9 9
9 9
9 9
0
0
0
0
0
0
(UTPUT
:NV3
> XM
C
Repeat Normal
1
2
3
4
5
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
74
Wheel
7 4
Wheel
74
Wheel
74
LFO
74
Wheel
74
• O f f
Release
17*
17*
17*
20*
17*
20*
fVIODSRC
KBD Track
0
0
0
0
0
0
fVlODAMT
+99
+99
+ 9 9
0
+99
0
Vel Curve
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
Cnvx2
Cnvx2 Cnvx2
KBD Scale
0
0
NormI
NormI
NormI
NormI
NormI
LP/HLKey_
0
C5/C7
NormI
C5/C7
0
C5/C7
Mode
Cf 5
x /FC 7
0
C5/C7
0
C5/C7
Ve l - L e v e l
0
0
0
0
0
0
F~X1
FX1
FX1
Ve l - A t t a c k
0
0
0
0
0
0
VOL
DesF Bus
Pan
" f x F
"
~FX1
5 0
8 5
15
8 5
8 5
0
fVlODSRC
• O f f
•Off
• O f f
•Off
• O f f
• O f f
IVIODAIVIT
PGM CONTROL
EFFECTS (1)
0
0
0
0
0
0
Pre-Gain
Vo i c e P r i o r
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
P i t c h Ta b l e
Medium
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Bend Range
Ve l T h r e s h
0
0
0
0
0
0
Delay
X4
FX1
IVlIx
50
Restrike
7
FX2
Mix
50
Glide Time
0
F O
Rate
1
2
3
4
5
6
3 0
3 0
30
3 0
3 0
3 0
MODSRC
Press
Press
Press
Press
MODAMT
+15
+15
+15
+15
Press
+15
Press
+15
0
0
5
0
0
5
W l + P r
W l + P r
W l + P r
Wl+Pr
W l + P r
W l + P r
Level
MODSRC
Waveshape"
_Delay^
q
_0
Tr i a n g l e
Tr i a n g l e
Restart
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Noise SRC RT
0
0
9 5
0
0
9 5
Off
*
2 3
Effect Chorus & Reverb 1
*
Decay
70
EFFECTS (3)
EFFECTS (2)
_0
._0_
._0.
_q
Tr i a n g l e Tr i a n g l e
Tr i a n g l e
Tr i a n g l e
Cnvx2
Wa v e s h a p e
Sine
Rate
1 8
Mod Source
Mod Wheel
Depth
Delay
5 0
HFCut
Off
Rate Mod
5 2
0
Depth Mod
0
Mix
5 0
PERFORMANCE
Timbre
5 0
Release
0
Pressure
Key
SO-1
&
2
Haokerpatch
Jeffrey Rhoads
Prog: ETHEREAL PIANO
By: Mark Clifton
Notes: This is a bright New Age piano that sounds like a MIDI
stack that Yanni might come up with. The bottom end is good for
WAV E
12
3
LFO
a dense chording while the upper range has a more melodic
c h a r a c t e r. T h e m o d w h e e l a d d s m o r e r e v e r b .
12
3
AMP
1
2
3
Effects Programming
The Hack: This patch works because it doesn't try to soimd subtle. It has a celeste
(To save space, only those
sort of quality in the higher registers, partially due to a raised Voice 3. (Note the Key
Range for that voice.) The almost harpsicord-like low end should cut even (dare I say)
effects utilized are listed. A
complete blank form was
published in Issue #68.)
louder New Age material. Although "Ethereal Piano" works with its intended Octave
settings, because Voice 3 is so very high, it runs out of pitch toward the SQ's final oc
tave. This creates some inconsistancy (though that may be the author's intention). Try
shifting the keyboard. In the Pitch Section for Voices I and 2 change OCT to 0. You'll
have to change OCT to +I for Voice 3. To generate a little movement, use Voice I's
LFO: in that voice's Pitch Section set LFO=-i-01. In the LFO
CHORUS AND REVERB
FX-1
2 6
Section, use LEVEL=20 and LFO SPEED=22. (WAVE=
FX-2
6 0
SINE.)
Decay time
HF Damping
5 4
Chorus Rate
10
Jeffrey Rhoads
2 6
Bio: Jeffrey Rhoads has been a keyboardist/composer on the
Philadelphia Jazz and R + B scene for a period of time
Chorus Depth
21
Chorus Center
5 0
FeedbacK
+05
Chorus Level
4 0
MOD (Dest)
BY (MODSRC)
resembling forever. He has an interest in cinema and has
FXI-MIx
developed some film courses. Jeff still believes in magic and
MODAMT
+51
Modwheel
longs for city lights.
SQ-I & 2 Hackerpatches are published with the same constraints and understand
ings as the ESQ, SQ-80, and VFX patches. The hacking and mutilating part is
being handled by Jeffrey Rhoads.
2 4
VALHALA Presents the Complete KEEL Sound Library for the EPS & EPS-16+
MODERN SYNTH
ENSQNIQ VFX
VF-1: Power Shimmer
Melody Bass
Bamboo
Winston Piano
Lead Strings
Wind Chimes
Flute
FM-2: JazzBass Clav
Tr o l l D r o p s
Hand Bell
Clasnost Men
FM-3:
Lastic
Brass
Gibson
Rez
Bass
FM-4:
Deep
VF-4:
Strings
Trans-Tine
I
Trans-Tine
2
CLASSIC SYNTH
Te l e c a s t e r R o c k
Te l e c a s t e r M e t a l
E C - 4 :
O M - l :
OB-X Strings
O M - 2 :
Sieinberger Bass Deluxe
(req memory expander)
A r e n a
R a z o r
ROIAND "LA" SYNTHESIS
LA-l;
MeloChiffer
Sweet
A D - 2 :
O M - 3 :
E . P.
Pipe
O M - 4 :
Dream
C o s m o s
Royal
V S - l !
Bass
Magic Mallet
LA-4:
Pressure
KORC
Ml
KM-I:
VS-3:
Bass
V S - 4 :
AT I
Sax
Angel Mutes
M S - 1 :
TS-1: Keyed Chorale
M S - 2 :
Sea
VS Strings I
VS Strings II
XPander
Landscape
Magic Flutes
Dust
M S - 4 :
Horns
Harmonic Synth
E a s t - We s t G u i t a r
DC
3:
C B - 2 :
F M - l :
L P I :
P
Brass
SAUl
PRIClill
Drums
Rock Kit
Regular
PRICING
B N - 1 :
Bottle
A
Processed Kit
Jazz Bass
Percussion
Bowed
Fender Jazz Bass
l
:
A 2 :
A - 3 :
Mandolin
Dobro
Flugelhorn
Ti m b a l e s
C o r n e t
Blower
Orchestra
"Martin" Harpsichord
Ve l o c i t y Tr o m b o n e s
D50 Strings
Bass
Agogo Bells
D50
Kalimba
Guitar
Nylon String Guitar
FX
PPG Keys
Te m p l e o f D o o m
G a m e i a n
Classical
Latin Shakers
Guiro + Claves
M a r k Tr e e
Reed Organ
Pie Bass
D50
Brass
Parlour Organ
Trumpet
Mute Trumpet
A - 5 :
Gregory
A m b r o s i a
Bottle
T u b a
Lush Brass
Trombone
Breath
EPS Demo Disk
ED-1;
Sharp Brass
Bugle
Drums
CLASSICAL
SS-l:
Solo Violin
Pizzicato Violin
Tremolo Violin
China
Sea
S o l o Vi o l a
Asian Gongs & Bowls
Gibson Les Paul ■ Clean
Gibson Les Paul - Drive
Clav
spEcmi
Clavichord
Celeste
Pan Flute
Kit
Jazz Kit
Tr a p s 2
Ta b i a
M O D U L AT I O N
Antique/Finger Cymbals
Low Saxophone
High Saxophone
C e n c e r r o s
Multi-Stack I
Multi-Stack II
Multi-Stack III
Breath
Orchestral Cymbals
English Horn
Latin Shakers
Bongo Drums
1 2 - O p E . P.
SPliiCIAL
Oboe
Conga Drums
VS Pads I
VS Pads II
Oberheim Pads
Sharp E.P.
Guitar
Crotales
Flute
A - 4 :
Crystal Court
FREQUENCY
Bass
Steinberger XL Bass
Moog Lead I
Moog Lead II
Pad
Doctor
Baal's
E-mu PROTEUS/1
PR-1:
Phantazia
D C - 2 :
Roto Float
Film
TS-2: Grand Organ
D C - l :
Moog Bass
Daze
M S - 3 :
Warm
Dish
Airimba
Ambrosia
Desert
China
To m s
(req memory expander)
Ta l k i n g D r u m s
Fender Rhodes
Accordion
Hammond B3 Jazz
Hammond B3 Rock
Piano Stack
Magic Organ
Bells
Log Drums
African Shakers
Ya m a h a D P - 7 0
Hohner Clavinet
V- S l r i n g z
Constellation
Radio
Sitar
Dance
Syncreie
Ti n e C h o r u s
Timpani
Roto
Bata
ROCK & POP
Hurdy Pipes
C a n t a t a
Cool
Glass Chimes
Funksichord
Bass Clarinet
Heirs
Simmons
KB-1:
Concerto
KM-2:
Ta c k s
Lead
Kitaro I
Lead
V S - 2 :
Lead
Hollow
Brass
Drums
Tu b u l a r B e l l s
Te m p l e B e l l s
It Breathes
Quartz Mallet
To y T r u m p e t
M e l o Wa v e s
v«;
Sky Diamonds
Punch Bass
Pad
Rush
prophft
Brake
Bassoon
Flute/Piccolo
Shakuhachi
K-5 Rhodes
MultiClav
Trampoline
«;foiifntial
Full Organ
Vibraphone
Xylophone
Bass
Takamlne 12-String
K o t o
Brass
Pizzicato
Tr a p s I
Spitfire Brass
Wa r m K e y s
Java Bell
LA-3:
Sass
Cello Harmonics
Space Vibe
B e n z a - D r e a m
Ti t s R o p e B a s s
Brass Section
LA-2:
Fog Strings
Filter Pop
Glockenspiel
Gongs
Cello
Clarinet
Barrock
Ripper
M a r i m b a
Solo Cello
(req memory expander)
ADDITIVE SYNTHESIS
AD-1; Wind Chime
Emerson Hall
R e z Tr u m p e t
(req memory expander)
Solo Bass
Fender Rhodes 88"
X-1;
Super Bass
Ritual
Bali & I
Ballerina
Plucked Ham
Orchestral Strings
Viola
Viola
Pizzicato
Pop Piano
VF-3:
ES-335
Redwood
Opera Chorus
Fanfare
Pizzicato
Scholz Rockman
E C - 3 :
Elizabethan
Studio Electric
S o l o Vi o l a
Tremolo
Caribbean Drum
VF-2:
Fender Strat - Clean
Fender Strat - Distort
E G - 2 :
Royal French Horn
(req memory expander)
Vibraphone
Warm Keys
(All Reduced-Range Insuuments for Demo)
Concert Grand Piano
(req memory expander)
ED-1 Demo Disk
SALE
PRICING
S 6.00 {in USA postage-paid.}
SI 0.00 (aii other countries, postage-paid.}
1 - 9 disks $15.00 ea > SALE @ $12.00 ea
10-19 disks $13.00 ea > SALE @ $ 9.00 ea
20+ disks 10.00 eo — SALE @ $ 7.00 eo
Call: I (313) 548-9360
Sale pricing valid thru February 29,1992
i J i ^ m
'Impeccabiy recorded... Kffl. has taken great care to optimize the signaHo-noise ratio... i love the VS and Oherheim Pads, as weli as the MulU-Stacks in the synth group." -Transoniq Hacker
"The designer of these sounds obviousiy spout a iot ot ellart to make good use ol the pertormance teatures and stereo capabilifles at the EPS..." -Music Technoiagy
Valhala also supports the following samplers with pre-looped, ready-to-load samples:
ROLAND 050/550/330/770 & W30 • AKAI S900/950/1000/1100 • YAMAHA TX16W • CASIO FZ1/10M • KORG DSS1/DSM11
Send $1.00 and request International Sound Mfq Sample catalog, for a complete listing for tfie above samplers.
Please use an additional sheet of paper if you cannot fit your entire order on this order form.
D I R E C T O R D E R F O R M M a l i t o : VA L H A L A B o x 2 0 1 5 7 - T H F e r n d a l e , M l 4 8 2 2 0
FTn
PRODUCT
DESCRIPTION
All orders are stiipped UPS, a street adress is required! ♦♦Print or Type Information^^
N a m e
Street.
Citv
S t a t e
PRICE
$
M l 4 % Ta x
$
SHIPPING $
Extra Shipping $
T O TA L
$
S u b To t a l
SHIPPING & HANDLING INFO
Continental USA $4.75 Sliipping/Handling; 2nd Day
UPS $8.00 S/H {2nd day air means you will receive
your product 2-working days after your order is
processed - provided it is in stock}. Ivticti res add 4%
tax. Alaska, Hawaii, PR & CANADA add $15.00 S/H. Aii
ottier countries add $25.00 S/H plus $3.50 for eacti
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Copyright© 1991 valhala Music, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Pricesgpecs subject to change wilhoul notice. Special Sole prices moy be disconllnuej ol any lime prior la Febraoiy 29, 1992 without prior notice. Not responsible tor lypogtcphical errors.
The
Interface
Letters for The Interface may be sent to any of the following addresses:
U.S. Mail - The Interface, Transoniq Hacker, 1402 SW Upland Dr., Portland, OR 97221
Electronic mail - GEnie Network: TRANSONIQ, CompuServe: 73260,3353, PAN: TRANSONIQ, Internet (via CS): [email protected].
This is probably one of the most open forums in the music industry. Letter writers are asked to please keep the vitriol to a minimum. Readers are
reminded to take everything with a grain of salt. Resident answer-man is Qark Salisbury (CS). Letter publication is subject to space considerations.
Howdy Hackers:
Having avoided any do-it-yourself projects
in the Hacker for some time, I think it's
[CS - Readers, here's your chance. Seems
to me like Mr. Fischer has made a heck of
an offer here — so let's keep those cards and
letters coming!]
time for us to take another look at what we
can do these days.
Cakewalk is sending back the data as one
continuous transmission, since it is a
"generic" recorder. As you were instructed,
separating the header from the data with
what Cakewalk calls Meta Events does suc
[TH - We did manage to slip in a sample of
Mr. Fischer's projects in this very issue.]
cessfully correct this situation in all of our
tests.
With several very popular machines (notab
ly, the Mirage, ESQ-1, and SQ-80), discon
tinued, it's tempting to see what can be
done to enhance their capabilities, which
are considered somewhat limited in 1991.
There are some relatively simple hardware
mods that could give their owners some
slick new possibilities for very little money
or effort, making it a relatively painless way
of getting more from your present invest
Perhaps you scrambled the memory of your
SQ-2 when you first attempted to download
H a c k e r,
the data and have not re-initialized the unit
I have an SQ-2 interfaced with an IBM
clone (Compaq) and Cakewalk software. I
want to use the PC as a librarian to store
sounds and sequences with Sys Ex mes
sages.
It doesn't work as advertised.
One example would be to add an audio
I've talked with Ensoniq and 1) slowed
Cakewalk way down and 2) split the file
into two parts as they suggested. The file
seems to come over from the SQ-2 fine, but
powerful way to modulate guitar, vocals, or
other sounds under real-time MIDI control!
Signals could be sent through one or all of
the filter sections simultaneously and the
filter cutoff, modulation depths, and VGA
by Bank button #9 and then Screen button
#9. This brings you to the Reinitialization
mode. If reinitializing fails to correct this,
then you may not have inserted enough time
between the Meta Events.
ment.
input to your axe, allowing you to process
external signals through the instrument's
filters and VCAs, giving you a hell of a
since. Try pressing EDIT Sequence, followed
going the other way, the SQ-2 locks up and
erases all its RAM. (Tacky) It reinitializes
okay, but everything is lost. Help! If there is
other and better software for this applica
For users of the Alesis DataDisk just
double-click the RECEIVE button of the
Alesis unit so that it will receive two dumps
of sequencer data.]
Dear Hacker,
and continuous controller messages. Just
Thanks,
think, with 8 VCFs and VCAs, you would
Brandon Ahrens
Thanks for an excellent magazine that is not
afraid to tackle those problems that are down
to the bits. I'm a serious programmer for
MIDI software (e.g., PM-U20 module for
C-LAB's PolyFrame Universal Editor).
have the ultimate wah-wah of all time!
Albuquerque, NM
Owning an EPS-16 PLUS, I'd like to give it
That's just one of my ideas. Interested
readers are encouraged to write me with
their ideas and suggestions for ESQ/SQ/
[CS - I've talked with Ensoniq and they
know of no reason why your system should
not work as advertised. There's a lot of
Mirage modifications and projects. The
Cakewalk users out there, and I've never
most popular and the ones that can be done
heard of a problem either. Perhaps one of
writing MIDI software for the EPS (and
other Ensoniq products like the VFX) that
make editing these devices by an external
for a reasonable amount of time and money,
them might be able to shed some light, but
in the meantime, I suggest you re-contact
computer device almost impossible.
will be researched for future Hacker ar
tion, I'd be interested.
gain could be varied via note-on, velocity,
some software support for the Atari ST com
ticles. Your input is strongly encouraged -1
want to develop projects that readers will
want to build for themselves!
Ensoniq and go over the situation with them
in some detail. And if you haven't done so
already, it might be a good idea to talk to
Twelve Tone Systems, the publisher of
puter, which is quite popular in Germany.
I'd like to mention some of the problems
1. The first SysEx reception requires the EPS
to load an overlay. The bad thing is that the
EPS returns "WAIT(OI)" rather than the ex
p e c t e d " I N S E RT S Y S T E M D I S K ( 0 2 ) "
response. The user therefore cannot be in
formed correctly of what to do. If it is poss
Please write me at the address below.
Cakewalk.]
Oh, yeah - please include a SASE if you
want me to reply, and thanks to all of you
for writing.
[Ensoniq - We assume that you are trying
to send sequence data, but you don't specify
that. The problem you are experiencing is
complete MIDI access possible without the
need to load an overlay.
caused by the fact that when sending
sequence data the SQ-2 (as all ENSONIQ
products) sends two messages, a header
description and then the data itself. This is
2. When sending additional SysEx data
while previous messages are processed, the
EPS often locks up.
Sincerely,
Charles R. Fischer
P. O . B o x 5 3 7 2
Hercules, CA 94547
(510) 724-0804
because of the large size of the sequencer
data transmission, which may be larger
than some devices can receive.
2 6
ible, Ensoniq should think of making
3. The given delay of 2 seconds between two
SysEx commands is unacceptable. It's im-
possible to explain to a potential user that
changing a value, which can be done on the
EPS itself within a fraction of a second,
needs 2 seconds when done by an external
computer. This is indeed the most serious
problem of all. For convenient editing,
processing SysEx commands must speed up
significantly.
4. Effects parameters of the onboard effects
should be make editable via SysEx. (Exter
nal Command Specification from October
4, 1990 doesn't mention any parameter
changes.)
Concerning the current 16 PLUS operating
system (1.1) I have encountered the follow
ing bugs (?):
better to separate settings for velocity and
aftertouch sensitivity and give them an ex
tended value range (e.g., 0-99).
TURN YOUR MIDI
SEQUENCER INTO A
HIT SONGWRITING
MACHINE WITH...
3. The Keyboard Version of the EPS-16
PLUS should respond to ALL NOTES OFF
and ACTIVE SENSE commands.
B A C K G R O U N D R H Y T H M PAT T E R N S ™
THE MOST COMPLETE SONGWRUTNG
AH) ON THE MARKET TODAYl
3. The Hall Reverb program has an attack
with relatively high frequencies that sound
like a slightly delayed echo. Even if in
Now you can play and compose great
sounding music with your midi sequencer
using Background Rhythm Patterns. Our large
library of over 150 rhythm accompaniments
will help turn your songs into exciting and
creative pieces of work, With Background
Rhythm Patterns you can now have the
perfect rhythm track to use to get your ideas
flowing to the top of the charts. A wide
variety of musical styles are featured;
creasing the "Hi Freq. Damp" value, the
"echo" doesn't vanish. This effect (to my
ears) "smears" short sounds with a hard at
tack, like a cowbell. Perhaps you can
change this effect?
• Patterns arranged for bass, keyboards, drums
and percussion.
• Program works with any MIDI set up and drum
Yours sincerely.
machine.
• Chord charts are included.
Christian Roth
1. Even if no instrument is selected on the
front panel ("LOCAL OFF" state), patch
select buttons, mod and pitch wheels affect
the last selected instrument. This is espe
cially annoying when playing other sound
modules via a sequencer's MIDI THRU.
Sometimes selecting and deselecting an in
strument or pressing an instrument button
of a track where no instrument is loaded
makes the EPS work in the correct manner
again.
• Excellent for increasing your repertoire of
Schwabhausen, Germany
original songs to show to publishers and
producers, and also for learning all .styles of
music.
• Program also includes a compilation of breaks,
[CS - While I can't respond for Ensoniq, I
feel it should be pointed out that I have
used librarians and editors for all their
intros. endings, and 130 drum patterns.
• Type 1 standard MIDI format for all computer
sequencers.
AVA I L A B L E D ATA F O R M AT S :
Roland MC500/300/MC-50/W30 Kawal Q-80
products, with great success. So it can't be
"nearly impossible" to create such software
- at least not so far as companies like Op
Korg T-Series Alesis MMT8/Data Disk SQ/
Yamaha QX3/SY77/SY99 Ensoniq VFX-SD,
EPS. SQ-80 Macintosh, IBM, Atari, Amiga.
$42.95
code, Digidesign, Passport Systems and so
on are concerned - because these products
work. And for the most part, they work
VISA AND .MASTERCARD ACCEPTED
NEW SOUND MUSIC
rather well.]
P.O. Box 37363 Dept. J1
2. The Data Entry slider's response is quite
i n a c c u r a t e a n d s l o w.
3. Instruments made on the "old" EPS (i.e.,
the ESS-Library) often have an audible
"click" on key release, when the release
time is near zero. As this is not the case
with the same instruments on the old EPS, it
Oak Park. MI 48237 Phone: (313) 355-3643
[Ensoniq - As Clark stated, "impossible" is
an unrealistic term, as many programmers
have created excellent software utilities for
our products with the same Sys Ex structure
that you are working with (Passport's Al
Show 'em that
at least one
chemy, Opcode's Galaxy, Dr. T's X-Or and
others come to mind.)
person knows
must be a bug of the EPS-16 PLUS.
As for your requests;
what they're
doing!
4. It is possible to assign different Wavesamples overlapping key ranges in
SAME layer (at least the display says
This should be made impossible since
is internally (see Layer Map in SysEx
the
so).
this
and
I) It's impossible to bypass the need to load
the overlays as this would involve a major
rewrite of the OS and increase the cost of
the unit because of the need for a markedly
Ye s , t h e Tr a n s o n i q H a c k e r
audible result) not true.
larger OS ROM. Anyone looking to do ad
vanced editing and Sys Ex communication
T-shirts are really here.
Some suggestions for future OS releases.
should always leave the OS disk in the drive
White logo on black
1. Make it possible to read the complete OS
to memory at system startup so that no Sys
tem Disk access will be necessary during
operation.
2. To obtain Pressure response on white
keys, you have to apply quite a bit more
force than on black keys. This is probably
because the induction loops under the keys
are lined up straight and therefore do not
consider the different length of the keys.
This should be taken into account when cal
culating the pressure value. It also would be
because of this. As a programmer you
should be sure to clearly state this fact in
the documentation of your program.
2, 3 and 4) This is simply the way the
product is designed and can't easily be
changed. Thanks for the observations,
though.
Only $17 each
(includes shipping)
Specify S, M, L, or XL
(Shirts are $14 if ordered at time of re
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97221.
"Bugs"
3) The output hardware on the EPS-16
PLUS is completely digital, with instan
taneous volume response as opposed to the
Or use your Visa or Mastercard and call
1-800-548-8925, ignore the recording about
"subscriptions only" and say you want your
T-shirt. Leave your name & address, shirt
X.
2 7
size, charge number and card expiration date.
voltage-controlled output of the original
EPS. This can lead to a click on some
The MOST Complete
EPS/EPS 16+ Libraries
sounds if extremely short release times are
used. This can be corrected by editing the
AMP release envelope time.
created by Professional Musicians
for Professional Musicians
"in general, these are excellent
sounds", "Superb. Clean and Crisp."
— Transoniq Hacker 2/91
Ask for Greytsounds at your local music
store or call for ttie name of nearest dealer
• Call for FREE Catalog wltfi descriptions
Suggestions
1) There is not enough system memory to do
this. The system of overlays allows us to
grow and enhance the EPS without always
changing ROMs or increasing the cost of
the unit to add potentially unused memory,
in the expectation that it may someday be
used.
HiniMOOG-3
Jupiter 8
Super JX/MKS-70
Juno 60/106
PropbellO-t
Propbet10-2
Mo Violas 8 Wins 1
Solo Violas 8 Violins 2
Siring Sactionl
Sring Secto
i n2
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Domestic Animals
Jan Guitar, AcoiiS. Bass
nimals
Manrloin,KotoS12-Slring
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in FX
Mue
l dTrumpet,Tuba, 8
First of all, in response to Paul Santa Maria
who asked some EPS questions in the same
Interface issue as myself: Yes, there is a
source for in-depth information regarding
the EPS/EPS-16 PLUS. While the factory
Musician's Manuals are excellent step-bystep reference sources, I have found the
"Ensoniq EPS-16 PLUS Operations and
Sampling Book," by Lorenz Rychner (along
with Bobby Maestas) to be an excellent
be able to release a new Reverb with these
vouch for the same basic information and
characteristics modified. Stay tuned...]
explanations in Bobby's original "EPS
Sampling Book," as I found this title very
useful when dealing with that particular in
strument. Both are available through
Alexander Publishing.
Dear Interface.
I know, I know! In the September '91 Issue,
I wrote and asked about miking and the
EPS, and here I am again with a new set of
comments. I have since returned the EPS to
Secondly, to Clark Salisbury: The same as
above! In your answer to Paul, you stated
that you were "willing to listen to recom
mendations" in this matter as you hadn't
Meiiotron2-Fiute8Choir
MoiuiarMOOG
Sle8lSlnngGuitarU2
Tromi)ones1,283
turbo model.
4) Since effects can be soft-loaded we may
my friend, Tom Metcalf of Ensoniq Corp,
Tppani 8 Kettledrum
say in the used car trade) EPS-16 PLUS
step-by-step tutorial. Paul, as a fellow
guitarist, I can assure you that the tutorials
are very much broken down into easily-un
derstood lessons or tasks. I assume that you
are still using the original EPS, and can
2) Pressure response does take into account
the circumstances you mention.
0berbeim2- Matri«6-1
OberbeimS- Matrix 6-2
Oberbeim4-Matrix12
MiniMOOG-t
MiniM(iOG-2
who so graciously lent it to me for upwards
of a year, and got a "pre-owned" (as they
Car FX One
CarFXTwo
Transportation FX
18 2,8 Classical IHoms
MOOG Source 8 Tauu
i s Pedasl
MemoyiMOOG
PPG Wave-1
PPGVte«e-2
PPGWa«e-3
Vocal Ensemble 1
Vocal Ensemble 2
Vorai Ensembles
384
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VotalEnsHnbie 5
Vexes 8 Vocoder
485
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tinSei
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0boes8Ciarinels
Flute, Pan Rote 8 Recorder
Exotic Winds
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French Horns
Rap Composition Set
JanSP-Bass
Fador Basses
Engsilh Horn/Oboe DAmore
RoJrGuitarl
Rock Guitar 2
S
nH
fomSEupB
tn
uim
SaxSecbons
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2 9
seen anything of this type. As an instructor
of music at the college level, I have plenty
of daily contact with various instructional
materials and have developed quite an eye
for sensing whether a text will adequately
convey the essence of the material. I find
that to be the case in regard to the above tit
les. Check them out for yourself and thanks
for listening.
Sincerely,
Anthony Ferrara
Philadelphia, PA
[CS - Thanks for the tips, Anthony. By the
way, do you think you could ask Tom Metcalfifl might borrow his car?]
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am an ESQ-1 (version 3.5) owner. Ensoniq gear is not very common in my part
of the world (mainly you see Yamaha and
Roland around here). I like the ESQ-1 very
much primarily because the programming,
editing, etc. are so straightforward.
However, I do have one small problem that
perhaps you or one of your group may be
familiar with. The ESQ has no transpose
INTRODUCING JAZZ THROUGH MJDI'"
This truly original approach to
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This course features authentic Bebop, Blues.
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• Type 1 standard MIDI file format for all
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• Ability to edit the sequences into your own
arrangement and also create original jazz songs.
• Easy set up. Sequences are arranged in 8. 12.
16, and 32 bar phrases, and are transmitted on
4 MIDI channels,
AVA I L A B L E D ATA F O R M AT S :
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function for live playing and I'm not very
good at playing in the keys of E or A or any
of the other popular guitar keys. I bought an
Anatek Pocket Transpose, which works well
P.O. Box 37363 Dept. J1
Oak Park, MI 48237 Phone: (313) 355-3643
though you have the MIDI ins and outs con
nected correctly, and no, there shouldn't be
except I get unwanted "NOTES OFF" when
playing between the "transpose note" and
middle C. As you can imagine, this causes
all sorts of difficulties. Is there another way
to transpose the ESQ? I'm quite prepared to
any reason why the EPS 16-Plus would not
work with the system if the classic EPS
does. My suggestion would be to first con
tact Steinberg and get their input. If that
doesn't solve the problem, try Ensoniq cus
buy parts and fire up the old soldering iron.
I'm also interested in buying voice cart
ridges from the U.S.
tomer service at 215-647-3930.]
All the best,
EPS-16 PLUS BASE MIDI channel is set to
Ian Harvie,
the same as specified in the AVALON soft
ware. What many people don't realize is
that MIDI Sys Ex messages are channel
Queensland, Australia
[Ensoniq - Make sure that MIDI SYS.EX=
ON on the Edit SystemlMIDI page, and the
[CS - There are other products that will
perform MIDI transposition, such as the
MX-8, from Digital Systems, but you might
also consider programming ESQ sounds in
specific, and computers and products must
be set up accordingly.]
different keys. It's not difficult, and it's a lot
cheaper than buying more hardware. All
you need to do to change the key for any
particular sound is to adjust the tuning for
each of the ESQ's three oscillators and save
the new version of the program back to
Dear Hacker,
memory (or cartridge). Let me elaborate:
Pressing one of the three OSC buttons will
take you to the programming page for that
particular oscillator. Use the "OCT="
parameter to set the initial octave that the
oscillator will play (its range is from -3 to
+5, with each increase or decrease of one
number representing a change of one oc
tave up or down) and the "SEMI="
There is a way to copy tracks between se
quences that is incredibly simple on the
EPS. (According to Ensoniq, it's not poss
ible.)
All one need do is append the sequence
containing the track to be copied to the des
tination sequence. Select "Copy Track"
after selecting instrument to be copied and
then select the same or destination se
quence. Then select the bar range of the
original destination sequence where you
want the track to play. For example. Se
parameter to change the pitch of the oscil
lator in increments of a half-step (a
quence A is four bars and Sequence B is
four bars. Sequence B is eight bars after the
half-step is the same as a semitone). Range
is from 0 to II.]
appending process. Simply choose bars 1 4 where you want the track when you reach
the "Bar 1 thru Bar 8" page.
Dear TH,
That's it!
Paul Santa Maria
I am trying to use the Avalon (Steinberg) V
1.0 DSP software on the Atari ST to edit my
EPS-16 PLUS samples. I have not been
able to transfer wavesample data from my
EPS-16 PLUS to Avalon. I always get the
error message, "MIDI DATA ERROR."
I've got the Atari MIDI Out connected to
Miami, FL
the EPS MIDI In, and the Atari MIDI In
We had advanced warning that the Novem
ber Hacker would carry Bryce Inman's
review of our Music Labs Sequences. So,
when our copy arrived, it was with a mix
ture of anticipation and trepidation that we
turned to page 12.
connected to the EPS MIDI Out. Is there
something I'm doing wrong? Is there some
incompatibility between the old EPS and
t h e E P S - 1 6 P L U S ? ( T h e i c o n i n Av a l o n
specifies the EPS and not the EPS-16
[CS - Slick! Thanks for the tip.]
Dear Hacker,
PLUS.)
Thanks,
K o e n Va n d e r s c h a e v e
NEW SOUND MUSIC
[CS - I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the
Avalon software, but it does sound to me as
Anzegem, Belgium
We are very clear that the approach we've
taken to this craft - ease and speed of use
through a single sound setup - has some
limitations. We know that working within
t h e c o n fi n e s o f a 2 x m a c h i n e a l s o n a r r o w e d
our possibilities a bit. And we know that the
biggest part of a sequence's quality just
Considering all that, I'm glad I wasn't the
new Setup Disk in the works. Anyone using
our sequences on a 4x machine will be of
fered the upgrade at no charge when it's
available. We also plan to punch up the
one who had to do the review!
brass, add some reeds and vocal "Oooos,"
We feel that Bryce's review treated our
and completely redo the guitars. We might
even look at the piano...
comes down to what an individual likes.
products very accurately and fairly. We're
quite flattered, really. In fact, the review is
almost too good and we wanted everyone to
know that Bryce is not on our payroll and
we didn't coach him on what to say.
sequence any George Harrison songs be
cause he didn't allow it.)
So, thanks again for the great review and
the great magazine. And, hey Bryce - wait
till you hear these things on an SD-I!
Sincerely,
Bryce's suggestion of sending to other
MIDI instruments is a good idea. Any of
Scott C. Lindstrom
our users who are unclear on how to do this
Tacoma, WA
should contact us and we'll help you out
(206) 272-7352
Music Labs Mail Order
with the details.
There are a couple points I'd like to expand
on. First, the patch selects. Yep, if you hit
"Stop" and then "Continue" they all reset.
Bryce is right, during rehearsal this can
drive you nuts. The organ suddenly be
comes a piano, etc. When Ensoniq had this
function to figure out, they choose to have
the patch selects reset to default on "Stop"
rather than on "Play." So, it's just the way
the machine works - it's not our fault,
honest. If we knew a way around this we'd
use it.
Sounds - actually, I rather like our piano;
pretty punchy for only 207 blocks! But, for
those folks with 4x machines, we've got a
Current Ensoniq O.S.s
Regarding the inclusion of scoring and/or
lyrics; this is a tough one. When we sell a
sequence we pay a royalty to the songwriter
(not the performer) through the Harry Fox
agency in New York. It's handled under
"Mechanical Reproduction" much as a
EPS
2.49
EPS-M
EPS-16 PLUS
2.49
1.1
MASOS
2.0
MIRAGE
3.2
3.5
1.2
ESQ
ESQ-M
SQ-80
piano roll is. When we asked about the
royalty liabilities of including scoring
however, we just couldn't get a straight
answer. There were questions raised regard
ing copyright infringement, among other
things. We finally chose to avoid potential
problems by not trying to solve them. Sony,
no scores. (An interesting aside was that we
were emphatically told by the agency not to
V F X
VFX-SD
1.8
2.1
2.1
SQ-1
SQ-R
SQ-1 PLUS
SQ-2
1.01
1.02
1.1
1.2
SD-1
3.00
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